Democratic U.S. Senate candidate James Talarico is celebrating a whirlwind first week on the general election campaign trail.
Shortly after Attorney General Ken Paxton won the Republican nomination in the U.S. Senate runoff election, Talarico hit the ground running with a barnstorm tour across Texas, a record-breaking fundraising haul and a key media endorsement.
“Ken Paxton is the ‘Most Corrupt Politician in America,'” Talarico said in a news release, “and Texans across the political spectrum are uniting behind our campaign to defeat him and the broken, corrupt political system he embodies.”
Within 24 hours of Paxton’s election, Talarico collected $3 million, his highest single day of fundraising since the launch of his campaign and more than Paxton’s cash on hand.
During his “People vs. Ken Paxton” tour, more than 1,000 people turned out for the kickoff event in Houston and thousands more turned out for rallies in Nagodoches, San Antonio and Leander.
In the same week, Talarico picked up an endorsement from the Houston Chronicle, which called him a “servant leader” and said the “choice is obvious” in the upcoming November election for one of Texas’ two U.S. Senate seats.
The first major poll in the race shows Talarico with a lead over Paxton, 47% to 44%.
“Paxton’s nomination, already dogged by years of scandal and an impeachment supported by a majority of his own Republican colleagues, has turned into an immediate momentum burst for Talarico before Paxton has even settled into his new position as underdog,” Talarico’s campaign said in the release.
Adam Powell covers government and politics for the El Paso Times and can be reached via email at apowell@elpasotimes.com.
This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: James Talarico gains momentum in Texas US Senate race
Reporting by Adam Powell, El Paso Times / El Paso Times
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Adam Powell, El Paso Times | USA TODAY Network
