Texas Senate hopeful Talarico targets Elon Musk at rally: 'Texas is not for sale'
Democratic US Senate candidate James Talarico accused billionaire Elon Musk of trying to buy political influence at a rally in Austin. Election day is 3 November, and polls give Talarico a narrow lead over Republican Ken Paxton.
James Talarico, the Democratic candidate for the US Senate in Texas, accused billionaire Elon Musk on Friday of trying to buy political influence, declaring at a rally at the University of Texas at Austin: "Texas is not for sale." The race is among the most closely watched in next month's midterm elections, which will decide control of the US Congress. Democrats are seeking their first statewide win in Texas since 1994.
An ally of Donald Trump as opponent
Talarico, 37, is a state representative and Presbyterian seminarian. He is running against Texas attorney general Ken Paxton, a staunch ally of US President Donald Trump. Paxton was impeached by his own party over corruption accusations. Talarico called him the most corrupt politician in state history, saying: "I have a legislative record; Ken Paxton has a criminal record."
Musk's funding
Talarico claimed Musk is almost single-handedly bankrolling the push to put Paxton in the Senate. According to federal filings, Musk, who lives in Texas and has moved SpaceX, Tesla, X and other businesses there, gave $158m to the Senate Leadership Fund, which passed the same sum to Texas PAC, a Republican super PAC backing Paxton.
Talarico's campaign says it raised $64m between July and September, more than triple Paxton's total, with 97% of donations under $100. Talarico said super PACs and billionaire donors are spending $200m to defeat him.
The race so far
Talarico fell ill with the flu at the end of September and was not seen in public for nine days. Trump claimed without evidence that the illness was linked to an attempt to eat meat, and an online rumour that Talarico had entered a mental health facility spread; it was debunked. The Wall Street Journal also published a video of Paxton celebrating New Year's Eve in Dubai with two US fugitives indicted on healthcare-fraud charges.
The RealClearPolitics average for polls from 6 to 19 October puts Talarico ahead by 1.8 percentage points. An Emerson College poll found 48% backing Talarico and 46% Paxton. Early voting began on 19 October.
