U.S. Senate — Texas
On the November ballot
- Ted Brown — Libertarian
- Ken Paxton — Republican
- James Talarico — Democratic
Listed alphabetically by surname. Source: Texas Secretary of State — Candidate Information, as cited in the sealed Wikipedia list of 2026 Senate elections, retrieved 2026-09-19. Current office holder: John Cornyn (Republican) — not on the November ballot.
Voting — official information
- “The voter registration deadline for the November 3, 2026 Uniform Election is October 5, 2026” — VoteTexas.gov (Texas Secretary of State) (retrieved Sep 28, 2026)
- “Generally, early voting in person begins the 17th day before Election Day (if that’s a weekend, early voting starts on Monday) and ends the 4th day before Election Day.” — VoteTexas.gov (Texas Secretary of State) (retrieved Sep 28, 2026)
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We add new sourced items (debates, official records, candidates' own statements) until election day. One short email per update, nothing else unless you tick the second box.
All sourced items — timeline (oldest first)
- Mar 4, 2026ReportedKen Paxton, James Talarico
“Texas Senate race: Democrat Talarico wins; GOP’s Cornyn, Paxton in run-off”
Al Jazeera — “Texas Senate race: Democrat Talarico wins; GOP’s Cornyn, Paxton in run-off | Elections News | Al Jazeera” · published Mar 4, 2026 - May 27, 2026ReportedKen Paxton
““James is not and never has been a vegan or vegetarian,” campaign spokesperson JT Ennis said in an email to PolitiFact.”
PolitiFact — “In Texas Senate race, Ken Paxton falsely claims James Talarico is a vegan – PolitiFact” · published May 27, 2026 - Jun 2, 2026BackgroundTed Brown
“When Brown last ran for the Senate in 2024 against incumbent Republican Sen. Ted Cruz and then-Democratic U.S. Rep. Colin Allred, Brown pulled more than 267,000 votes statewide.”
Houston Public Media — “Libertarian Ted Brown courts disaffected conservative voters in Texas’ U.S. Senate race – Houston Public Media” · published Jun 2, 2026 - Jun 3, 2026ReportedJames Talarico
“State prosecutors in Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s office said the victim did not want to testify at a second trial. They instead offered Hoffman a misdemeanor plea deal under which he served 29 days in jail and did not have to register as a sex offender.”
PolitiFact — “Fact-checking James Talarico’s attack on Texas AG Ken Paxton about sex abuse plea deal – PolitiFact” · published Jun 3, 2026 - Jul 8, 2026ReportedKen Paxton, James Talarico
“Earlier Wednesday, Paxton’s campaign said he had raised over $9 million in the second quarter of the year — a personal best and the largest amount announced by any non-incumbent Senate GOP candidate this cycle, per his campaign.”
The Texas Tribune — “Talarico more than triples Paxton’s Q2 haul in Texas Senate race” · published Jul 8, 2026 - Jul 16, 2026ReportedKen Paxton
“The attorney general beat Sen. John Cornyn and U.S. Rep. Wesley Hunt for the Republican nomination earlier this year in a contest that featured no debates between the candidates.”
KWTX — “UPDATE: Dates and locations for three Talarico-Paxton debates are set” · published Jul 16, 2026 - Jul 16, 2026ReportedKen Paxton, James Talarico
““Of course we are going to debate James Talarico and we look forward to engaging with potential debate hosts,” Paxton senior adviser Nick Maddux said in a statement.”
The Texas Tribune — “Ken Paxton says he'll debate James Talarico in Texas Senate race” · published Jul 16, 2026 - Jul 29, 2026BackgroundKen Paxton
“Paxton, a Republican who has served as Texas attorney general since 2015, is seeking the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by John Cornyn.”
Houston Chronicle — “Paxton-Talarico debate is coming—but will both candidates show?” · published Jul 29, 2026 - Jul 29, 2026ReportedJames Talarico, Ken Paxton
“The debates are scheduled to begin Sept. 22 in the Rio Grande Valley, hosted by NBC, Telemundo and Hearst Television. Two additional debates are planned for October: one hosted by WFAA and TEGNA Inc. in Dallas on Oct. 6, followed by a debate hosted by KXAN-TV and Nexstar Media Group in Austin on Oct. 13.”
Houston Chronicle — “Paxton-Talarico debate is coming—but will both candidates show?” · published Jul 29, 2026 - Aug 12, 2026ReportedKen Paxton, James Talarico
“Both major party candidates have said they want to debate at least once before the Nov. 3 election, but the deadline to agree to the first proposed matchup, sponsored in part by Hearst Newspapers, passed on Wednesday without a commitment from Paxton.”
Austin American-Statesman — “Ken Paxton snubs debate invite from Hearst and NBC/Telemundo” · published Aug 12, 2026 - Sep 4, 2026ReportedKen Paxton
“Three years ago, Paxton escaped permanent consequences when he was acquitted on 16 articles of impeachment, with only two out of 19 Senators voting in favor of convicting on any article.”
Dallas Observer — “Fact check: Talarico campaign ad's claims about Paxton” · published Sep 4, 2026 - Sep 4, 2026ReportedJames Talarico
“Since not all properties are required to be listed in financial filings, it’s hard to know Paxton’s exact net worth, though Forbes estimates it at about $13 million.”
Dallas Observer — “Fact check: Talarico campaign ad's claims about Paxton” · published Sep 4, 2026 - Sep 19, 2026 (page retrieved; undated)In their own wordsJames Talarico
“That’s why I’ve never taken a dime of corporate PAC money. It’s why I broke quorum twice with my colleagues in the Texas House to fight back against rigged redistricting maps and defend the freedom to vote. And it’s why the first set of legislation I will pursue in the U.S. Senate will be an anti-corruption package to ban super PACs and corporate PACs, ban partisan gerrymandering, and increase transparency and accountability in all branches of government.”
Talarico for Texas (campaign website) — “Corruption & Democracy - Talarico for Texas” · page retrieved Sep 19, 2026 - Sep 19, 2026 (page retrieved; undated)In their own wordsJames Talarico
“Increase wages for workers, not CEOs: Raise the federal minimum wage to $15 an hour, and incentivize CEOs to pay fair wages by creating a special tax on corporations that pay their top executives more than 250 times their median worker’s salary.”
Talarico for Texas (campaign website) — “Taxes & Cost of Living - Talarico for Texas” · page retrieved Sep 19, 2026 - Sep 19, 2026 (page retrieved; undated)In their own wordsJames Talarico
“Reform the asylum system: Hire more immigration judges to clear the asylum backlog, root out fraud in the system so that only legitimate claims are approved, and ensure legitimate asylees receive protection quickly.”
Talarico for Texas (campaign website) — “Immigration & Border Security - Talarico for Texas” · page retrieved Sep 19, 2026 - Sep 19, 2026 (page retrieved; undated)In their own wordsKen Paxton
“Ken Paxton is running to help President Trump finish the border wall and protect our national sovereignty. During the corrupt Biden Administration, Attorney General Paxton led the national legal charge against Biden’s radical agenda and sued the lawless Biden Administration over 100 times, including to put an end to disastrous open borders policies.”
Ken Paxton for U.S. Senate (campaign website) — “Ken Paxton for U.S. Senate (THE FIGHT AT HAND / issues)” · page retrieved Sep 19, 2026 - Sep 19, 2026 (page retrieved; undated)In their own wordsKen Paxton
“Ken Paxton is a strong fiscal conservative who will fight to cut taxes and stop the wasteful spending that has led to our nation being in over $36 trillion dollars in debt. After four years of Joe Biden causing skyrocketing inflation and declaring war on American energy, Ken Paxton will help bring down costs and remove harmful regulations designed to hurt our energy companies.”
Ken Paxton for U.S. Senate (campaign website) — “Ken Paxton for U.S. Senate (THE FIGHT AT HAND / issues)” · page retrieved Sep 19, 2026 - Sep 19, 2026 (page retrieved; undated)In their own wordsKen Paxton
“America must be the crypto capital of the world and support innovation and growth. Digital assets are one of the defining frontiers changing the world, and the United States cannot afford to fall behind. Achieving that requires a clear, pro-growth regulatory framework, and passing critical legislation like the CLARITY Act is key to giving innovators certainty to build and scale.”
Ken Paxton for U.S. Senate (campaign website) — “Ken Paxton for U.S. Senate (THE FIGHT AT HAND / issues)” · page retrieved Sep 19, 2026 - Sep 19, 2026 (page retrieved; undated)In their own wordsTed Brown
“There are too many laws. I am not running for U.S. Senator to be a "lawmaker." I am running to repeal as many laws as I can.”
Ted Brown campaign website — “Ted Brown - Libertarian for U.S. Senator from Texas” · page retrieved Sep 19, 2026 - Sep 19, 2026 (page retrieved; undated)In their own wordsTed Brown
“Governments throughout the world, including the U.S., are rushing to require ID to use social media, apps, the internet itself, computers and other devices, and even cell phones. This is flying under the radar, but it's the most devastating blow to privacy in history. If we don't oppose every one of these measures now, we will lose our freedom forever.”
Ted Brown campaign website — “Ted Brown - Libertarian for U.S. Senator from Texas” · page retrieved Sep 19, 2026 - Sep 19, 2026 (page retrieved; undated)In their own wordsTed Brown
“I am opposed to the new requirement that automakers install a "kill switch" on all new vehicles starting in 2027. This will result in government remotely shutting down our cars if they don't like who we are, where we are going, etc.”
Ted Brown campaign website — “Ted Brown - Libertarian for U.S. Senator from Texas” · page retrieved Sep 19, 2026 - Sep 19, 2026 (page retrieved; undated)BackgroundJames Talarico
“I first ran for the Texas House in 2018 to fight for my constituents — people like my mom and my students. It was a district no one thought we could win, but together we flipped a district Donald Trump had won just two years earlier.”
Talarico for Texas (campaign website) — “Meet James Talarico - Talarico for Texas” · page retrieved Sep 19, 2026 - Sep 24, 2026ReportedKen Paxton, James Talarico
“But Paxton had not committed to any debates as of Thursday. WFAA, whose debate invitation Talarico accepted, reported Tuesday that Paxton’s campaign had not responded to messages since Aug. 24 after communicating with station management “for weeks to organize a potential debate.””
The Texas Tribune — “James Talarico challenges Ken Paxton to Fox News debate” · published Sep 24, 2026 - Sep 24, 2026ReportedKen Paxton
“On Sept. 2, Talarico accepted another debate invitation from CNN. In response, Maddux said, “no Texan wants to watch James Talarico and two of his fellow far-left activists posing as moderators spew left-wing talking points in a ‘debate,’ or what they would try to turn into a CCP-style struggle session.””
The Texas Tribune — “James Talarico challenges Ken Paxton to Fox News debate” · published Sep 24, 2026 - Sep 24, 2026ReportedJames Talarico
“With just over three weeks left before early voting, Democratic U.S. Senate nominee James Talarico on Thursday challenged his GOP opponent Ken Paxton to a debate moderated by Fox News’ Bret Baier.”
The Texas Tribune — “James Talarico challenges Ken Paxton to Fox News debate” · published Sep 24, 2026
Email me when this race page updates
We add new sourced items (debates, official records, candidates' own statements) until election day. One short email per update, nothing else unless you tick the second box.
Selection rules: how items are chosen. Another race: U.S. House — Ohio District 7