James Talarico told climate activists in 2020 that capitalism must be dismantled.
Now Republicans are spending $10 million to make sure every Texan hears it in his own voice.
What his campaign says next depends on which James Talarico you ask.
MAGA Inc Drops $10 Million Into Ken Paxton's Texas Senate Race
MAGA Inc. – the super PAC Trump himself calls "my money" – dropped $10 million in ad spending on the Texas Senate race Saturday, according to Federal Election Commission filings.
The buy marks the super PAC's first major midterm investment, splitting $5 million in pro-Paxton ads and $5 million in direct attacks on Talarico.
This is not a defensive measure.
This is a kill shot.
Trump has already promised to bankroll whatever it takes to win in November.
MAGA Inc. has roughly $1 billion on hand, and Trump says as much as $500 million of it could go toward the midterms.
Texas just moved to the front of the line.
The ads target what MAGA Inc. spokesperson Alex Pfeiffer called "High Tax Talarico" – a man who "wants to take money out of Texans' pockets."
That's not a political attack.
That's a statement of documented fact.
Inside James Talarico's 'Dismantle Capitalism' Comments
Talarico spent a 2020 virtual climate forum hosted by the Austin Sierra Club telling activists that capitalism, white supremacy, and climate change are three interconnected "oppressive systems" – and that ending all three simultaneously is how you begin "the process of dismantling them."
He also told those activists that Texas's oil and gas industry is "not gonna last" – comparing it to being the leader in cassette tapes in the 1980s.
This is the man running for Senate in the oil and gas capital of America.
Here's the punchline.
When those remarks resurfaced this week, Talarico's own campaign scrambled to call him a "proud capitalist" who supports the oil and gas industry.
Six years ago he wanted to dismantle the system.
This week he's proud of it.
Pick one, James.
The Paxton campaign said the tape confirmed what they'd been saying all along – that Talarico is a "Democratic Socialist" out to gut the oil and gas industry and hike taxes to fund a radical wish list.
Meanwhile, Talarico has raised $72 million – mostly from small donors – compared to $16.8 million for Paxton.
Democrats have poured national money into Texas because they see a path.
Ken Paxton vs Talarico Polling Shows a Texas Senate Toss-Up
Democrats haven't won a Texas Senate seat since 1988 – nearly four decades.
Texas hasn't elected a Democrat to any statewide office since 1994.
But the race is a toss-up right now, and anyone who tells you otherwise is lying to you.
Polls have bounced back and forth for months – Talarico up 3 points in the Fox News survey, Paxton up 1 in the Emerson poll – with the Cook Political Report officially calling it a toss-up.
Paxton faces real headwinds.
Texas lawmakers tried to remove him from office over corruption allegations back in 2023, and the state Senate cleared him – but the baggage never fully went away, and his personal favorability still sits underwater.
Only 89 percent of Republicans are unified behind him.
That means roughly one in ten Texas Republicans is either staying home or crossing over to vote for a man who called capitalism oppressive.
Five-alarm fire.
This is exactly the moment Trump's super PAC exists for.
Beto O'Rourke came within 2 points of beating Ted Cruz in 2018.
Texas margins can vanish overnight if Republicans get complacent.
MAGA Inc. just made sure nobody gets complacent.
What a Talarico Win Means for Senate Control in 2026
If Talarico wins Texas, Democrats flip the Senate.
Republicans hold a 53 to 47 majority right now.
Democrats need four seats.
North Carolina and Maine are already targets.
Texas would blow the whole map open.
Socialist Democrats controlling the Senate means blocked judges, blocked nominees, and two years of gridlock on everything Trump promised you.
Trump gets it.
"I'm going to spend whatever amount of money necessary to try and help us," he told reporters.
The $10 million Saturday was the opening bid, not the ceiling.
Those ads are running right now. Two of them go after Talarico over taxes and rural hospitals. The rest make sure voters know where Paxton stands – a bigger child tax credit, tax relief on medical bills, and a $50,000 break for first-time homebuyers.
That's a contrast worth every dollar of that $500 million.
Talarico called capitalism oppressive on camera.
Texas gets to answer him in November.
Sources:
- Brie Stimson, "Trump-linked MAGA Inc pours $10M into Ken Paxton's Texas Senate race against James Talarico," Fox News, September 5, 2026.
- Alex Pfeiffer (MAGA Inc. spokesperson), statement to Fox News Digital, September 5, 2026.
- Brandon Waltens, "Talarico Said Capitalism Is an 'Oppressive System' That Must Be 'Dismantled,'" Texas Scorecard, September 1, 2026.
- Jonathan Turley, "Talarico brings a touch of Trotsky to the Texas Senate race," Fox News Opinion, September 2, 2026.
- "Fox News Poll: GOP divisions shape Texas Senate race," Fox News, August 2026.
- "Is The GOP Fundraising Apparatus Messing With Texas?" Daily Caller, September 2, 2026.
- Mariane Angela, "Trump's MAGA Inc. Pours $10 Million into Ken Paxton's Senate Race," Breitbart, September 5, 2026.
