Race · November 3, 2026

U.S. Senate · Texas

3 candidates on the ballot — an open seat, with no incumbent running.¹

§1Candidates

Why this matters: Every candidate the state lists for this race on the November ballot, in the state's own order.

Ken Paxton

Republican Party · Open seat

James Talarico

Democratic Party · Open seat

Ted Brown

Libertarian Party · Open seat

§2Side by side

Why this matters: The same facts for every candidate, in the same order. Where we found nothing for a candidate, the cell says so — that means we didn't find it in public sources, not that it doesn't exist.

Scroll sideways on small screens. Select a name for the full page.
Fact	Ken Paxton	James Talarico	Ted Brown
Party on the ballot	Republican Party^1,2	Democratic Party^1,2	Libertarian Party^1,2
Status	Open seat	Open seat	Open seat
Raised	$22,327,474 through October 14, 2026³	$146,349,912 through October 14, 2026⁴	$14,257 through October 14, 2026⁵
Cash on hand	$4,784,408³	$9,922,857⁴	$1,288⁵
Outside spending	$93,799,549 for · $88,237,056 against⁶	$22,916,635 for · $207,571,462 against⁷	$657 for · $0 against⁸
Abortion law	His campaign website says that in the Senate he would stand with President Trump against abortion.⁹	Legal until about 24 weeks, as under Roe v. Wade, and later to protect the woman's life or health His campaign website says he supports writing Roe v. Wade into federal law and opposes Texas's current abortion ban.^10,11	Not found in the public sources we checked
Marijuana laws	Not found in the public sources we checked	Make it legal for adults to buy and use His campaign website says he would legalize and regulate marijuana for adults and clear arrest records related to marijuana use.^11,12	Make it legal for adults to buy and use His campaign website says he would remove marijuana from the federal list of controlled substances right away and work to repeal all drug laws.¹³
Cryptocurrency rules	Write separate federal rules for crypto, as the House-passed bill would, with most tokens overseen as commodities rather than securities His campaign website says the United States should lead the world in cryptocurrency, calls for clear federal rules that support the industry's growth, and supports passing the CLARITY Act.⁹	His campaign website says he supports clear rules for digital assets so that crypto companies follow the same rules as everyone else and consumers are protected from fraud.¹⁴	Not found in the public sources we checked
Tariffs	Not found in the public sources we checked	Lower or remove most tariffs His campaign website says he would repeal the Trump administration's tariffs.^15,16,17	Lower or remove most tariffs His campaign website says he supports free trade and would eliminate tariffs that work as taxes on American consumers.¹³
Trade agreements	Not found in the public sources we checked	His campaign website says he supports trade agreements with strong protections for American workers.^16,17	Sign new deals that lower trade barriers His campaign website says he supports trade agreements between two or more countries that reduce trade barriers.¹³
US Department of Education	Not found in the public sources we checked	Keep the department and its programs, or expand it His campaign website says he opposes efforts in Washington to sharply cut the U.S. Department of Education.¹⁸	Close the department and move or end its programs His campaign website says he would abolish the U.S. Department of Education.¹³
Vouchers and education savings accounts	Not found in the public sources we checked	No public money for private school or homeschooling costs His campaign website says he opposes private school voucher programs and would keep public money in public schools.^18,19	His campaign website says he supports tuition tax credits for families who send children to private school, and it prefers them to vouchers, which it says could lead to government control of private schools.¹³
Foreign aid	Not found in the public sources we checked	Restore or increase foreign aid, including programs cut in 2025 His campaign website says he would fully fund the State Department, reverse the dismantling of the U.S. Agency for International Development and restore aid programs that fight famine, disease and violence.¹⁷	Cut foreign aid further or end most of it His campaign website says he would end all foreign aid payments.¹³
Military aid to Israel	Not found in the public sources we checked	His campaign website says he would stop sales of offensive weapons to the Israeli government led by Benjamin Netanyahu while supporting defensive systems such as the Iron Dome, and would push for a two-state solution.¹⁷	Reduce or end military aid to Israel His campaign website says the United States should not give military or financial aid to any foreign country, especially in the Middle East, and it criticizes U.S. funding for Israel's military actions in Gaza.¹³
US role in NATO	Not found in the public sources we checked	His campaign website says he would deepen U.S. cooperation with NATO, the European Union and other allies.¹⁷	Leave NATO His campaign website says the United States should withdraw from NATO and other alliances and bring all troops home from foreign assignments.¹³
Health insurance system	Not found in the public sources we checked	Add a government plan that anyone can choose to buy His campaign website says he would let Americans of any age join Medicare and would create a public health insurance option that competes with private insurance.^10,15	Fewer federal insurance rules and more private plan choices, with aid paid to individuals His campaign website says health care should be provided through free-market competition, and it calls for medical savings accounts, tax-deductible health expenses, buying insurance across state lines and allowing limited catastrophic policies.¹³
Border wall and barriers	Build walls or fencing along much more of the border His campaign website says he would help President Trump finish building the border wall.⁹	Not found in the public sources we checked	Build no new barriers and spend the money on other border security His campaign website says a border wall would no longer be needed under his immigration plan and calls a wall a bad idea.¹³
Immigration enforcement inside the country	His campaign website says he would help President Trump deport people who are in the country without legal permission, and it singles out those who have committed crimes.⁹	His campaign website says immigration enforcement should focus on deporting people who commit crimes, gang members and human traffickers rather than immigrants who pose no threat to public safety.²⁰	Abolish ICE and move any remaining enforcement work to other agencies His campaign website says ICE should be abolished, its detention facilities closed and Customs and Border Protection limited to the border and other ports of entry.¹³
Federal spending levels	His campaign website says he would work to cut taxes and stop what it calls wasteful federal spending, pointing to a national debt of more than $36 trillion.⁹	Not found in the public sources we checked	Cut overall federal spending His campaign website says he would make large cuts to federal spending across the board, paired with repealing the income tax.¹³
Children and social media	Not found in the public sources we checked	Require safer designs and settings for minors, and parental consent for younger users His campaign website says he would give parents more control over their children's social media use and bar platforms from using algorithms to send targeted content to minors.¹⁴	Leave it to parents, with no new government requirements on apps His campaign website says he opposes government age limits and age verification for social media and other internet use, and says policing children's internet use is up to parents.¹³

Issues only one candidate has addressed

By candidate, in ballot order. We found nothing public from the other candidates in this race on these issues.

Ken Paxton — 2 issues

Classroom teaching on race, gender and sexuality
His campaign website says he would work with President Trump against what it describes as efforts by the transgender movement to bring its views into classrooms.⁹
Transgender students in school sports
Require teams based on sex at birth
His campaign website says he opposes letting athletes who were born male compete in girls' sports.⁹

James Talarico — 51 issues

Birth control and IVF
His campaign website says he supports federal legislation to protect access to contraception and IVF.^10,11
Who sets abortion law
A national law making abortion legal in every state, at least until viability, as under Roe v. Wade
His campaign website says he supports federal legislation to write Roe v. Wade into law.^10,11
Visas for farmworkers
His campaign website says he would simplify the application for H-2A farmworker visas while keeping strong labor standards on them.¹⁹
Ethics rules for Supreme Court justices
His campaign website says he supports a binding code of conduct for Supreme Court justices, including required rules on recusals, financial disclosures and gifts.²¹
Religious exemptions
His campaign website says he supports passing the Do No Harm Act, which it describes as protecting religious liberty and preventing religious discrimination.¹¹
Social media content rules
Make platforms more legally responsible for harmful content, such as posts their algorithms promote
His campaign website says he would narrow the broad legal immunity that protects social media companies and require regular reviews of their algorithms.¹⁴
Supreme Court term limits
Set fixed terms, such as 18 years
His campaign website says he supports term limits for Supreme Court justices.²¹
Voting Rights Act protections
Restore and widen protections by law, such as federal approval of voting changes in places with a history of discrimination (for example, the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act)
His campaign website says he supports passing the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act.²¹
Police funding
His campaign website says law enforcement agencies should have the resources they need, along with investment in police training, oversight and accountability.¹²
Banking and investment rules
Strengthen rules and consumer protections, such as limits on overdraft fees and tougher oversight of large banks
His campaign website says he would cap credit card interest rates.¹⁵
Federal minimum wage
Raise to $15 or more
His campaign website says he would raise the federal minimum wage to $15 an hour, with tax credits and subsidies to help smaller businesses adjust.^15,16
Small business loans and programs
Expand SBA loans, research awards and contracting help for small businesses
His campaign website says he would broaden eligibility for Small Business Administration loan programs and expand support for community lenders.¹⁶
Union organizing rules
Make it easier to form a union (for example, the PRO Act)
His campaign website says he supports passing the PRO Act.¹⁶
Books in school libraries
His campaign website says he opposes book bans and that he blocked a proposed statewide book ban for public schools in the Texas House.¹¹
Religion in public schools
No school-sponsored prayer or religious displays, while students may pray or share their faith on their own
His campaign website says he opposes requiring the Ten Commandments in public school classrooms and would reject policies that bring religion into public settings such as schools.^11,18
Campaign finance rules
Limit spending by outside groups, including by amending the Constitution to overturn Citizens United
His campaign website says he would work to undo the effects of the Supreme Court's Citizens United ruling, including by banning super PACs and corporate PACs.²¹
Drawing district lines (redistricting)
Have independent commissions, not lawmakers, draw district lines
His campaign website says he supports a nationwide ban on partisan gerrymandering, with independent commissions drawing district lines.²¹
Stock trading by members of Congress
Ban members themselves from trading individual stocks
His campaign website says he supports banning members of Congress from trading individual stocks.²¹
Term limits for Congress
Longer limits, such as 12 to 18 years in each chamber
His campaign website says he supports limiting members of Congress to six two-year terms in the House and two six-year terms in the Senate.²¹
Clean energy tax credits
Restore the credits the 2025 law ended or cut back
His campaign website says he would bring back federal tax credits and other tools that speed up renewable energy development.²²
Data centers and electricity costs
Require data centers to pay the full cost of the power plants and lines they need
His campaign website says data centers and other large energy users should pay for the power infrastructure they need instead of passing those costs to consumers, and that local communities should decide whether to allow a data center.^14,22
Permitting for energy projects
His campaign website says he would streamline permitting for energy projects without weakening environmental protections.²²
Air pollution limits
Strengthen limits, such as tighter standards for soot and for pollution from trucks and factories
His campaign website says he would make strengthening the Clean Air Act a priority.²²
Clean Water Act coverage of wetlands and streams
His campaign website says he would make strengthening the Clean Water Act a priority.²²
Child care costs
His campaign website says he would expand access to affordable child care, invest in care for children under 3 and provide universal pre-K for 3- and 4-year-olds.^11,18
Child tax credit
His campaign website says he would expand the Child Tax Credit and the Earned Income Tax Credit.^11,15
Food assistance (SNAP)
Undo the 2025 changes or expand benefits and eligibility
His campaign website says he opposes cuts to SNAP and WIC and would reverse recent cuts to SNAP.^15,23
Paid family and medical leave
His campaign website says he would pass paid family leave legislation so workers can take time off to care for a new child or a seriously ill family member.^11,16
Same-sex marriage
Keep same-sex marriage legal in every state
His campaign website says he would protect the legality of same-sex marriage.¹¹
Aid to Ukraine
His campaign website says he supports steps that help the United States, Ukraine and European partners negotiate from strength to secure Ukraine's long-term independence, and that hold Russia accountable.¹⁷
Iran's nuclear program and sanctions
His campaign website says he would seek an end to the war with Iran that keeps Iran from developing a nuclear weapon.¹⁷
AR-15-style rifles
Keep sales legal, with added limits such as a minimum buying age of 21
His campaign website says he would raise the minimum age to buy semi-automatic rifles with certain military-style features.¹²
Background checks for gun sales
Require checks for all gun sales, including private sales (with exceptions such as gifts between family members)
His campaign website says he supports universal background checks for gun sales.¹²
ACA premium tax credits
His campaign website says he would restore the Affordable Care Act's enhanced premium tax credits.^10,15
Federal Medicaid funding
Reverse the 2025 changes or increase federal funding
His campaign website says he would reverse the Trump administration's cuts to Medicaid, Medicare and the Affordable Care Act's enhanced tax credits.^10,23
Large investors buying single-family homes
His campaign website says he would ban Wall Street investors from buying up homes.¹⁵
Zoning and new housing
His campaign website says he would repeal outdated rules that slow home construction and expand the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit.¹⁵
Asylum rules
His campaign website says he would hire more immigration judges to clear the backlog of asylum cases and screen out fraudulent claims.²⁰
Legal status for immigrants here without permission, including Dreamers
His campaign website says he supports a path to citizenship for immigrants who have been in the country the longest and for groups such as spouses and Dreamers, with temporary work permits for some recent arrivals.²⁰
Masks and identification for immigration officers
Require visible ID and body cameras, and ban most face coverings
His campaign website says he would bar ICE agents from wearing masks or refusing to show identification.²⁰
Federal disaster aid (FEMA)
Expand FEMA's funding and role, including more help preparing before disasters
His campaign website says he would expand eligibility for FEMA's Pre-Disaster Mitigation Program and improve help for families after disasters.²²
Medicare drug price negotiation
His campaign website says he would increase Medicare's power to negotiate drug prices.¹⁵
Social Security payroll tax cap
Also tax earnings above a higher level, such as $250,000 or $400,000
His campaign website says he would remove the cap on Social Security taxes for people earning more than $400,000 a year.^15,16
Business tax breaks
Cut back many of these breaks and use the money for lower tax rates, deficit reduction or other priorities
His campaign website says he would end the carried interest tax break and roll back other tax breaks that it says let some of the largest corporations pay no federal income tax.^15,16
Corporate tax rate
Raise it, for example to 25% or 28%, or back to the 35% top rate in place before 2018
His campaign website says he supports raising the corporate tax rate.¹⁵
Taxes on very large fortunes
His campaign website says billionaires should pay higher taxes on their income and capital gains, and it calls for closing loopholes that let them build up wealth that is never taxed.¹⁵
High-speed internet access
His campaign website says he would increase federal funding to expand high-speed internet access in Texas.^14,19
Rules for artificial intelligence
Set rules for specific risks and uses, such as deepfakes, hiring decisions and safety disclosures
His campaign website says he would protect workers from AI surveillance on the job, require transparency and human review of automated decisions about promotions, discipline and firing, and require AI companies to follow copyright law.^14,16
Private care for veterans
Expand the VA's own hospitals and clinics, using private care mainly when the VA can't provide it
His campaign website says he would fully fund the VA and opposes efforts to privatize it.^10,23
VA staffing
Hire more VA staff, including to replace jobs lost in 2025
His campaign website says he would fill VA staffing gaps, including through pay parity for VA health care providers, and would restore positions that were eliminated.²³
Veterans' disability and survivor benefits
Expand benefits for some groups, such as combat-injured retirees with under 20 years of service and surviving spouses who remarry
His campaign website says he supports the Love Lives On Act so that surviving spouses of fallen service members keep their benefits if they remarry.²³

Ted Brown — 11 issues

Death penalty
Abolish it
His campaign website says he does not trust government officials with the power to execute people and that people convicted of premeditated murder should instead face life in prison without parole.¹³
Mandatory minimum sentences
Reduce or end mandatory minimums for nonviolent drug crimes
His campaign website says he would end mandatory minimum sentences.¹³
Qualified immunity for police
End qualified immunity for police officers
His campaign website says he would end qualified immunity for police officers and require officers to carry liability insurance.¹³
Federal Reserve independence
His campaign website says he supports a full, independent audit of the Federal Reserve, followed by winding it down and returning control of money to Congress.¹³
Who sets tariffs
Require Congress to approve new tariffs before they take effect
His campaign website says Congress should repeal the laws that give the president emergency tariff powers and should take back control over trade and tariffs.¹³
Who decides on military action
Require Congress to approve military action in advance, except to defend against an attack
His campaign website says only Congress can declare war.¹³
Permits to carry concealed guns
His campaign website says he would protect concealed carry rights and end gun-free zones.¹³
Red flag laws
Repeal existing red flag laws and adopt no new ones
His campaign website says he opposes red flag laws and would vote against them, saying they are open to abuse and violate due process.¹³
Public health emergency powers and workplace vaccine requirements
His campaign website says emergency declarations and executive orders should need approval from Congress before taking effect and that emergency powers should expire unless Congress renews them, and it says Libertarians opposed pandemic lockdowns and business closures.¹³
Legal immigration levels
Admit more immigrants, such as by adding work visas or clearing family backlogs
His campaign website says he favors an Ellis Island-style system in which foreigners are welcome to come after checks for criminal records and contagious diseases, may enter at any port of entry and may work from their first day.¹³
Federal income tax rates
His campaign website says he would repeal the federal income tax and abolish the IRS without replacing them with a flat tax, a national sales tax or any other tax.¹³

Issue statements are drafted by AI from the public sources cited, and only cover what each candidate has said publicly.

All 2026 races in Texas