James Talarico seeks U.S. Senate seat in 2026 Texas race

State Rep. James Talarico, a Democrat from Round Rock, is running for U.S. Senate in Texas. The general election is Nov. 3, 2026.

Talarico faces Republican Ken Paxton and Libertarian Ted Brown, according to BallotReady election data. Talarico is certified for the ballot.

Candidate information

Party: Democratic
Hometown: Round Rock, Texas
Education: High school diploma, McNeil High School; bachelor's degree in government, University of Texas; master's degree in education policy, Harvard University
Personal: Talarico is a type 1 diabetic, according to his Texas House biography. He attended Wells Branch Elementary School.

Experience and public service

Talarico has served as state representative for District 50 since 2018, according to BallotReady. He sits on the Texas House Public Education Committee, the Juvenile Justice and Family Issues Committee and the Calendars Committee, according to his Texas House biography.

Texas Monthly named him one of the Top 10 Best Legislators, his House biography states.

In the Texas House, Talarico said he passed legislation to cap insulin copays at $25 a month and to import low-cost prescription drugs from Canada. He also said he passed laws to combat teen fentanyl overdoses, ban reality TV policing, increase accountability within the Texas Juvenile Justice Department and give all incarcerated minors the opportunity to earn a high school diploma.

On the issues

The following positions come from Talarico's campaign responses via BallotReady and his campaign website.

Property taxes and cost of living: Talarico said he wants to lower property taxes by making the state government pay a larger share of school funding. He said he supports expanding the Child Tax Credit and the Earned Income Tax Credit. He also said he wants to repeal tariffs he says are raising prices on groceries, cars and clothing.

Healthcare: Talarico said he supports allowing every American to join Medicare regardless of age. He said he wants to cap out-of-pocket costs for lifesaving drugs, regulate pharmacy benefit managers and codify Roe v. Wade. He also said he supports expanding Medicaid in Texas to reduce the state's uninsured rate.

Education: Talarico said he wants to close tax loopholes that allow commercial property owners to reduce their taxes, shifting school funding costs to homeowners. He said he opposes school vouchers and supports universal pre-K for every 3- and 4-year-old. He also said he wants to expand teacher training programs and protect federal funding for special education students.

Housing: Talarico said he wants to stop corporate landlords from manipulating markets to raise rents and ban Wall Street from buying housing stock. He said he supports expanding the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit and creating a federal task force to help communities use factory-built modular homes to speed construction.

Immigration: Talarico said he supports securing the border and making legal immigration easier. He said deportation should prioritize criminals, gang members and human traffickers. He also said he supports creating a path to citizenship for long-term immigrants and DREAMers while allowing recent arrivals to apply for temporary work permits.