Texans Vote in Senate Race That Has Become the Most Expensive in U.S. History
Texans cast ballots on November 3 in a U.S. Senate race between Republican Ken Paxton and Democrat James Talarico, which Al Jazeera describes as the most expensive Senate race in United States history. The contest is also the most expensive non-presidential race in the country's history, according to Fox San Antonio.
Spending on the race reached $573.2 million in advertising, according to a report from AdImpact, an ad-tracking firm. That total covers both the primary campaigns and the general election, and it includes money raised by the candidates' own campaigns as well as outside spending by groups that are not part of either campaign.
Much of the outside money came from a small number of donors and groups. The New York Times, in an analysis cited by Al Jazeera, estimated that the billionaire Elon Musk spent at least $212 million supporting Paxton. Of that, Musk gave $168 million to the Senate Leadership Fund, a political group, and nearly all of it went to support Paxton. Trump's MAGA Inc. PAC, a political action committee, spent at least $10 million backing Paxton, while the Lone Star Rising PAC spent at least $21 million on Talarico. Senate Republicans had raised their ad buy supporting Paxton to $100 million by late September, the Texas Tribune reported at the time.
The candidates' own fundraising also set records. Al Jazeera reported that Talarico raised $155 million and Paxton raised $40 million. The 2026 Texas Senate primary, the contest within each party that picks its nominee, was already the most expensive Senate primary on record, according to OpenSecrets.
Voting began well before Election Day. More than 7.7 million Texans cast early ballots, surpassing the 2018 record, the Texas Tribune reported. In the same report, the newspaper said that most polls had Talarico ahead of Paxton before Election Day.
The stakes extend beyond Texas. Reuters has reported that the race could decide which party controls the U.S. Senate.
