AUSTIN—Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) and state Rep. James Talarico, a Democrat, held separate rallies in Austin, Texas, on Feb. 17, the first day of early voting in competitive Senate primaries.

The two candidates, who have held out the promise of electability, are coping with serious challenges from Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, also a Republican, and Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-Texas), respectively.

Both men were met with questions as they entered the home stretch ahead of primary election day on March 3.

Flanked by members of the National Border Patrol Union and former Texas Gov. Rick Perry, Cornyn spoke critically of Paxton on stage, warning that he would harm the party’s wider prospects. A third Republican hopeful, Rep. Wesley Hunt (R-Texas), is behind Cornyn and Paxton in polling.

Cornyn dealt with scrutiny of ad spending in the race, with the pro-Cornyn ad spending close to $58.9 million. The Senate primary has become the second costliest on record, according to AdImpact’s recent tracking data.

Talarico delivered remarks alongside other top Texas Democrats and steered clear of mentioning his own primary opponent, Crockett, while on stage.

Cornyn in the Morning

Cornyn, Texas’s senior senator, launched a week of campaigning with a morning rally at a Mexican restaurant. His Republican opponent, Paxton, has led Cornyn in recent primary polling. Paxton’s momentum climbed with an endorsement from a Trump-aligned turnout engine, Turning Point Action.

So far, President Donald Trump has not endorsed any candidate in the race, saying he likes all three.

Although Cornyn has touted an overwhelmingly pro-Trump voting history, Paxton has raised concerns with the lawmaker’s full record. The attorney general also rescinded a 2001 opinion from Cornyn, issued when he was the state’s attorney general, stating that it raised the risk that illegal immigrants would obtain occupational licenses without Social Security numbers.

Jan Duncan, another Cornyn supporter at the rally, told The Epoch Times that “some people complain that he’s a little too pragmatic, but sometimes you don’t have a choice of that.”

“I think he’s a really good senator, and I think he’s done well for Texas,” she said.

Cornyn made his case against Paxton clear.

“If Ken Paxton is at the top of the ticket, we risk losing the Senate seat, losing the majority in the House of Representatives, and it will take a toll on everybody on the ballot,” he told the crowd.

The pro-Cornyn spending from the National Republican Senatorial Committee and other groups comes as Sens. Susan Collins (R-Maine), Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska), and Jon Husted (R-Ohio) prepare for what could be tough reelection bids.

Former Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Whatley is fighting to retain the seat being vacated by Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.). Multiple surveys reviewed by The Epoch Times show the expected Republican nominee trailing former North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper, a Democrat.

“Texas is a big, expensive state,” Cornyn told reporters when asked about the spending in his favor. “Usually, we’re having to spend money on your TV stations, and it’s not free. I think basically what you’re hearing is sour grapes from the other two candidates who were unable to raise any money because people understand they would be bad choices for the Senate.”

As well as the pro-Cornyn ad spending, the contest has seen $2.3 million in pro-Paxton ad spending and $10.8 million in pro-Hunt ad spending, along with millions against Hunt and Cornyn. Pro-Talarico ad spending totals $15.3 million compared with $2.8 million for Crockett, according to AdImpact.

Federal election data covering the end of 2025 show Paxton’s campaign has received $5.3 million, compared with $1.8 million for Hunt, $6.5 million for Crockett, $10 million for Cornyn, and nearly $13.2 million for Talarico.

Talarico at Twilight

Hours after Cornyn’s rally, a big and relatively young crowd gathered at an event space elsewhere in Austin. Hundreds had turned out to hear Talarico. Numerous volunteers roamed the space in bright safety vests.

The state representative’s speech was preceded by a performance by an Americana band, Fairbanks & the Lonesome Light, along with remarks from other top Texas Democrats.

Gubernatorial hopeful Gina Hinojosa—like Talarico, a state representative—recalled strong Democratic performances in Texas during the 2018 midterms, which took place during Trump’s first term.

“That is what we’re going to have in 2026,” she said.

Polling from the University of Houston and Emerson College shows Hinojosa well behind incumbent Gov. Greg Abbott, a Republican. Yet, some head-to-head polling in the Senate race suggests that Talarico could be a more formidable competitor against the Republican prospects.

Talarico supporters said they hope that he will be the first Democrat to win statewide in Texas in decades.

“I believe Talarico can reach crossover voters,” volunteer Mary Black told The Epoch Times.

Black has been helping Texas Democrats long enough to have seen them at heights that now seem hard to imagine.

She recalled volunteering for Texan Lyndon Baines Johnson’s successful presidential campaign in 1964. That same year, Sen. Ralph Yarborough (D-Texas) beat Texan businessman George H.W. Bush, a future president, by more than 300,000 votes.

The last Democratic senator from Texas, Robert Krueger, left office in 1993.

Black, a seasoned observer, thinks that Talarico “can draw in more voters” than Crockett.

On the ground in Austin, there were signs of Talarico’s ability to activate Texans. One attendee, Magnus Stephens, told The Epoch Times that the campaign is the first one in which he has ever volunteered.

Another attendee, Jason, who did not share his last name, suggested that race and gender may be factors in making Talarico an electable candidate.

“I don’t think that the state of Texas is ready for a woman of color to represent it in the Senate,” the attendee told The Epoch Times. “I support women of color in roles like that.”

Colin Allred, a former candidate in the primary who lost to Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) in 2024, has accused Talarico of describing him as a “mediocre black man” to Crockett.

In a statement, Talarico’s campaign said that Allred provided “a mischaracterization of a private conversation” between the state representative and Crockett.

Crockett has accused a pro-Talarico Super PAC, Lone Star Rising, of airing advertisements that are “straight-up racist,” claiming that they darkened her skin tone.

When asked whether he was comfortable with a pro-Talarico Super PAC attacking Crockett, Talarico replied, “It’s why I’m proposing that we ban Super PACs for everybody, for both parties.”

He stressed the legal separation between his campaign and that Super PAC, saying, “I cannot do anything about what any Super PAC does.”

“Is that true?” he asked reporters when questioned about Crockett’s skin-darkening allegations. “You need to fact-check anything I say, anything any candidate says.”

The Epoch Times reached out to Lone Star Rising for comment but did not receive a response by publication time.