Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton slammed his opponent, Democrat Senate candidate James Talarico for receiving a large chunk of his funding from donors in California and other states.

During an appearance on Fox News, Paxton said Talarico has “a lot of money coming in from California” and that “California is trying to elect their third senator.”

“I would bet at least a 3rd or more of his money, maybe half, has come in from the state of California,” Paxton continued. “And so that's another reason that we see James Talarico doing so well. It's California, New York, Chicago, not as much Texas.”

The numbers bear out Paxton’s claims, according to a report from the Texas Tribune, which reported that almost 50 percent of Talarico’s funding comes from California, New York, and other states.

Contributions to the candidates were concentrated near the state’s largest cities. Talarico received the most from Travis County, where donors who contributed over $200 sent a combined $3.8 million to his campaign as of June 30, 2026. Paxton’s largest pull came from Dallas County where he raised about $1 million as of May 6, 2026, though Talarico still managed to outraise him there too.

Of the itemized contributions that went to Talarico and Paxton, about 55% and 83% came from within Texas, respectively. Of their out-of-state contributions, Talarico saw the most come from California and New York while Paxton received the most from Florida and Utah.

Talarico’s campaign has benefited greatly from blue state donors. He has outraised Paxton by a considerable margin.

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The campaigns of Talarico and Ken Paxton reported raking in $31.6 million and $9.3 million, respectively, in their last quarterly filing with the Federal Election Commission. Since the beginning of 2025, Talarico’s campaign has lapped Paxton’s several times over, raising a cumulative $72.0 million compared to $16.8 million by Paxton’s.

What’s also interesting is that one of the largest spenders for ads attacking Paxton is a pro-Cornyn super PAC called Texans for a Conservative Majority, according to the Texas Tribune.

The race remains a toss-up with multiple polls showing the candidates running neck and neck. A RealClearPolitics average puts Talarico at 47.3 percent to Paxton’s 44.9 percent. A 270toWin average shows Talarico at 45.4 percent to Paxton’s 42.8 percent.