Talarico says the divide is 'top vs. bottom' — then heads to one of America's richest donor enclaves

Texas Democratic Senate nominee James Talarico, who has built a reputation for his anti-corporate rhetoric and criticism of tech, reportedly spent mid-April traveling around the San Francisco Bay Area soliciting donations from deep-pocketed tech executives.

Talarico attended at least four California fundraisers organized by major Democratic fundraisers linked to the tech industry in April, according to invitations obtained by Politico as well as a source interviewed by the outlet. The Democratic Senate hopeful criticizes the tech industry on his campaign website, accusing it of profiting off "predatory algorithms" that amplify extremism and promising to protect workers against "intrusive AI surveillance." 

The fundraisers took place in Palo Alto, the Mission District of San Francisco, Oakland and Marin County, according to Politico. Among the attendees were venture capitalists, including at least one who advises AI start-ups, wealthy Democratic donors and political staffers.

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Talarico’s proximity to wealth creates tension with how he has presented himself on the campaign trail.

He has stated that "the biggest divide in this country is not left vs. right. It’s top vs. bottom," argued that the "people at the top work so hard to keep us angry and divided because our unity is a threat to their wealth and power," characterized lawmakers that take donations from "megadonors" as "puppet politicians," accused "billionaires are waging war on the rest of us," and expressed a strong desire to hold corporations accountable.

He has also vowed not to accept corporate PAC funding, though he has taken money from corporate executives — the individuals who typically fund and control corporate PACs. 

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While Talarico has raised over $40 million, the second most of any Senate candidate this cycle, the vast majority of that has come from small-dollar donors. Additionally, Texas Republican Senate nominee Ken Paxton, the state’s attorney general, has a history of accepting large-dollar donations — though he hasn’t taken a stance against the wealthy in the same way as Talarico.

"The only way to get Big Money out of our politics is to vote out politicians like Ken Paxton who want corporations and billionaires to decide our elections, not Texans," Talarico campaign spokesman JT Ennis told Fox News Digital. 

"James is the only candidate who’s outlined a comprehensive agenda to ban super PACs, ban corporate PACs, ban congressional stock trading and tax billionaires so we can fix this broken, corrupt political system. If anyone supports taxing billionaires more and limiting Big Money’s influence on our politics, they’re welcome to help defeat politicians like Ken Paxton, who rake in millions of dollars from special interests then enrich wealthy donors while working Texans struggle," he continued. 

Paxton campaign spokesperson Madison Cercy told Politico that the fundraisers are "just another chapter in James Talarico’s saga of lying and hypocrisy as he runs a flip-flopping campaign across the state of Texas."

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Fox News Digital previously reported that Talarico is far more reliant on out-of-state donors than Paxton, a trend common among Democrats challenging Republicans in swing states.

Democrats have sought to flip Texas blue for decades, often spending large sums of money in ill-fated attempts to dethrone Republican gubernatorial and senatorial incumbents. Some in the party feel that 2026 could be different from their past failures in the Lone Star.

Talarico’s open Christian faith, for one, is seen as something that could provide him with cross-party appeal. That, combined with his incredibly strong fundraising numbers, tendency to generate viral clips and an unpopular Republican in the White House, could propel Talarico to an upset victory. 

In any case, the race for Senate in Texas is shaping up to be an expensive one. One Democratic fundraiser projected that the contest could cost north of half a billion dollars across all sides.