Who is running for U.S. Senate in Texas in 2026?

James Talarico (Democratic); Ken Paxton (Republican); Ted Brown (Libertarian).

Where do the Texas Senate candidates stand on taxes and cost of living?

James Talarico: Talarico calls the cost of living the greatest challenge and proposes a cost-of-living tax cut for working people. He says billionaires and corporations should pay their "fair share" and that closing tax loopholes would help fund programs covering health care and child care. Ken Paxton: Paxton's "Protecting the Texas Promise" agenda proposes a $50,000 federal tax deduction for buying a home, a $25,000 deduction for out-of-pocket health care costs and a $5,000 deduction for healthy-living expenses. He also wants to permanently double the Child Tax Credit, saying he will put money back in Texans' pockets. Ted Brown: Brown says lowering costs requires cutting government spending and ending the tariffs, which he says consumers pay. He supports cutting income and property taxes.

Where do the Texas Senate candidates stand on the minimum wage?

James Talarico: Talarico supports raising the federal minimum wage to $15 an hour and expanding overtime eligibility. He proposes tax credits and subsidies to help small and mid-sized businesses adjust to the higher wage. Ken Paxton: As attorney general in 2022, Paxton sued to block a federal order raising the minimum wage for federal contractors to $15 an hour. He argued that only Congress can set the federal minimum wage and that the increase would harm the Texas economy. Ted Brown: No published position found.

Where do the Texas Senate candidates stand on health care costs and coverage?

James Talarico: Talarico would protect the Affordable Care Act, restore its enhanced tax credits and let people of any age buy into Medicare as a public option. He also proposes capping out-of-pocket drug costs, regulating pharmacy benefit managers and keeping medical debt off credit scores. Ken Paxton: Paxton proposes a federal tax deduction of up to $25,000 for an individual's out-of-pocket health care costs, plus $25,000 per dependent, and a separate deduction of up to $5,000 for health-related expenses. His plan addresses health costs mainly through tax incentives. Ted Brown: Brown says health care is best provided through free-market competition. He supports expanding Medical Savings Accounts, making health expenses tax-deductible, allowing insurance purchases across state lines and allowing catastrophic-only policies.

Where do the Texas Senate candidates stand on medicaid?

James Talarico: Talarico says he would reverse recent federal cuts to Medicaid, Medicare and Affordable Care Act tax credits. He says that as a state legislator he blocked a bill that would have dropped people from Medicaid coverage. Ken Paxton: No published position found. Ted Brown: Brown's platform lists Medicare and Medicaid among the federal programs that it says place extraordinary financial demands on the health care system. It does not propose a specific change to Medicaid.

Where do the Texas Senate candidates stand on public schools and vouchers?

James Talarico: Talarico opposes private school vouchers, saying they divert tax dollars from public schools, and he opposes expanding them nationwide. He supports hiring more teachers, raising teacher pay and universal pre-K. Ken Paxton: Paxton says Texas parents should have the right to choose the best school for their children. As attorney general in 2023, he issued a legal opinion concluding there are no constitutional barriers to enacting school choice in Texas. Ted Brown: Brown would abolish the federal Department of Education and calls for separation of school and state. He supports charter schools, homeschooling and tuition tax credits, which his platform prefers over vouchers.

Where do the Texas Senate candidates stand on energy and the power grid?

James Talarico: Talarico says data centers should pay for the grid infrastructure they need, lose special tax deals and meet federal minimum standards, with local communities deciding where they go. He would suspend the federal gas tax. Ken Paxton: Paxton supports permanently repealing the federal gas tax and keeping oil and gas regulation low. On data centers he says "this is a yes with conditions," supporting rules that the industry pay its own infrastructure costs and an end to state sales tax breaks for it. Ted Brown: Brown would repeal the federal gas tax. He says data centers should have a plan for power and water, and he opposes taxpayer subsidies and eminent domain for them as well as a one-year moratorium.

Where do the Texas Senate candidates stand on immigration and the border?

James Talarico: Talarico calls for comprehensive immigration reform that pairs stronger border security, including scanning technology at ports of entry and more immigration judges, with easier legal immigration. He would focus ICE on criminals and traffickers and supports a path to citizenship for long-term residents and DREAMers. Ken Paxton: Paxton says he is running to help President Trump finish the border wall and protect national sovereignty. His campaign supports securing the border and deporting people in the country illegally. Ted Brown: Brown would abolish ICE, limit Customs and Border Protection to the border and ports of entry, and oppose the border wall. He proposes an Ellis Island-style system that admits people after criminal and health screening.

Where do the Texas Senate candidates stand on abortion?

James Talarico: Talarico supports federal legislation to codify Roe v. Wade. He also supports protecting access to contraception and IVF. Ken Paxton: Paxton's campaign pledges to "defend the unborn." As attorney general, he has sued out-of-state providers over abortion medication mailed into Texas. Ted Brown: No published position found.

Where do the Texas Senate candidates stand on money in politics?

James Talarico: Talarico would ban super PACs and corporate PACs and work to reverse the impact of the Citizens United decision. He says he has not taken corporate PAC money since 2017 and supports banning stock trading by members of Congress. Ken Paxton: No published position found. Ted Brown: Brown says his campaign takes no corporate PAC money and that he is not beholden to special interest groups. His platform does not propose a specific campaign finance policy.

Where do the Texas Senate candidates stand on religion in public schools?

James Talarico: Talarico supports the separation of church and state and opposes policies that bring religion into public spaces such as schools. In the Legislature he opposed requiring Ten Commandments displays in classrooms, replacing school counselors with chaplains and adding Bible stories to the curriculum. Ken Paxton: Paxton has encouraged Texas students to use school prayer time for the Lord's Prayer. He wrote, "In Texas classrooms, we want the Word of God opened, the Ten Commandments displayed, and prayers lifted up." Ted Brown: No published position found.

Texas Senate Race 2026: Where the Candidates Stand on the Issues

Short answer

Three candidates are on the November 3, 2026 Texas ballot for U.S. Senate: Democrat James Talarico, Republican Ken Paxton and Libertarian Ted Brown. Early voting runs October 19 to 30. This page summarizes each candidate's published position on ten issues, from taxes to religion in public schools, with a source for every entry. Election day is 2026-11-03; early voting: 2026-10-19 to 2026-10-30 (source).

Every position below is a neutral paraphrase of the candidate's own published statements, linked to its source. Where we found no published position, we say so rather than guess. Candidates appear in the same order on every issue. This page is not satire and is not affiliated with any candidate or campaign.

The candidates

James Talarico (Democratic) — Texas state representative and former public school teacher source
Ken Paxton (Republican) — Texas attorney general source
Ted Brown (Libertarian) — Retired insurance adjuster in Austin; Libertarian nominee for U.S. Senate in 2024 source

Taxes and cost of living
James Talarico	Talarico calls the cost of living the greatest challenge and proposes a cost-of-living tax cut for working people. He says billionaires and corporations should pay their "fair share" and that closing tax loopholes would help fund programs covering health care and child care. source
Ken Paxton	Paxton's "Protecting the Texas Promise" agenda proposes a $50,000 federal tax deduction for buying a home, a $25,000 deduction for out-of-pocket health care costs and a $5,000 deduction for healthy-living expenses. He also wants to permanently double the Child Tax Credit, saying he will put money back in Texans' pockets. source
Ted Brown	Brown says lowering costs requires cutting government spending and ending the tariffs, which he says consumers pay. He supports cutting income and property taxes. source

The minimum wage
James Talarico	Talarico supports raising the federal minimum wage to $15 an hour and expanding overtime eligibility. He proposes tax credits and subsidies to help small and mid-sized businesses adjust to the higher wage. source
Ken Paxton	As attorney general in 2022, Paxton sued to block a federal order raising the minimum wage for federal contractors to $15 an hour. He argued that only Congress can set the federal minimum wage and that the increase would harm the Texas economy. source
Ted Brown	No published position found.

Health care costs and coverage
James Talarico	Talarico would protect the Affordable Care Act, restore its enhanced tax credits and let people of any age buy into Medicare as a public option. He also proposes capping out-of-pocket drug costs, regulating pharmacy benefit managers and keeping medical debt off credit scores. source
Ken Paxton	Paxton proposes a federal tax deduction of up to $25,000 for an individual's out-of-pocket health care costs, plus $25,000 per dependent, and a separate deduction of up to $5,000 for health-related expenses. His plan addresses health costs mainly through tax incentives. source
Ted Brown	Brown says health care is best provided through free-market competition. He supports expanding Medical Savings Accounts, making health expenses tax-deductible, allowing insurance purchases across state lines and allowing catastrophic-only policies. source

Medicaid
James Talarico	Talarico says he would reverse recent federal cuts to Medicaid, Medicare and Affordable Care Act tax credits. He says that as a state legislator he blocked a bill that would have dropped people from Medicaid coverage. source
Ken Paxton	No published position found.
Ted Brown	Brown's platform lists Medicare and Medicaid among the federal programs that it says place extraordinary financial demands on the health care system. It does not propose a specific change to Medicaid. source

Public schools and vouchers
James Talarico	Talarico opposes private school vouchers, saying they divert tax dollars from public schools, and he opposes expanding them nationwide. He supports hiring more teachers, raising teacher pay and universal pre-K. source
Ken Paxton	Paxton says Texas parents should have the right to choose the best school for their children. As attorney general in 2023, he issued a legal opinion concluding there are no constitutional barriers to enacting school choice in Texas. source
Ted Brown	Brown would abolish the federal Department of Education and calls for separation of school and state. He supports charter schools, homeschooling and tuition tax credits, which his platform prefers over vouchers. source

Energy and the power grid
James Talarico	Talarico says data centers should pay for the grid infrastructure they need, lose special tax deals and meet federal minimum standards, with local communities deciding where they go. He would suspend the federal gas tax. source
Ken Paxton	Paxton supports permanently repealing the federal gas tax and keeping oil and gas regulation low. On data centers he says "this is a yes with conditions," supporting rules that the industry pay its own infrastructure costs and an end to state sales tax breaks for it. source
Ted Brown	Brown would repeal the federal gas tax. He says data centers should have a plan for power and water, and he opposes taxpayer subsidies and eminent domain for them as well as a one-year moratorium. source

Immigration and the border
James Talarico	Talarico calls for comprehensive immigration reform that pairs stronger border security, including scanning technology at ports of entry and more immigration judges, with easier legal immigration. He would focus ICE on criminals and traffickers and supports a path to citizenship for long-term residents and DREAMers. source
Ken Paxton	Paxton says he is running to help President Trump finish the border wall and protect national sovereignty. His campaign supports securing the border and deporting people in the country illegally. source
Ted Brown	Brown would abolish ICE, limit Customs and Border Protection to the border and ports of entry, and oppose the border wall. He proposes an Ellis Island-style system that admits people after criminal and health screening. source

Abortion
James Talarico	Talarico supports federal legislation to codify Roe v. Wade. He also supports protecting access to contraception and IVF. source
Ken Paxton	Paxton's campaign pledges to "defend the unborn." As attorney general, he has sued out-of-state providers over abortion medication mailed into Texas. source
Ted Brown	No published position found.

Money in politics
James Talarico	Talarico would ban super PACs and corporate PACs and work to reverse the impact of the Citizens United decision. He says he has not taken corporate PAC money since 2017 and supports banning stock trading by members of Congress. source
Ken Paxton	No published position found.
Ted Brown	Brown says his campaign takes no corporate PAC money and that he is not beholden to special interest groups. His platform does not propose a specific campaign finance policy. source

Religion in public schools
James Talarico	Talarico supports the separation of church and state and opposes policies that bring religion into public spaces such as schools. In the Legislature he opposed requiring Ten Commandments displays in classrooms, replacing school counselors with chaplains and adding Bible stories to the curriculum. source
Ken Paxton	Paxton has encouraged Texas students to use school prayer time for the Lord's Prayer. He wrote, "In Texas classrooms, we want the Word of God opened, the Ten Commandments displayed, and prayers lifted up." source
Ted Brown	No published position found.

Sources

Texas U.S. Senate 2026: Paxton, Talarico and Brown on the issues, The Texas Tribune, 2026-10-13
Q&A: Meet the candidates running to represent Texas in the US Senate, Community Impact, 2026-08-21
Meet the 2026 candidates for Texas' U.S. Senate race, San Antonio Report, 2026-09-23
Texas voting guide: Early voting begins Oct. 19, FOX 4 News Dallas-Fort Worth, 2026-10-12
Talarico vs. Paxton: Who has the better approach to healthcare affordability?, FOX 7 Austin, 2026-10-07
Abortion not a focus in Texas race for U.S. Senate as neither candidates emphasize the issue, The 19th, via KSAT, 2026-07-15
Texas AG Ken Paxton encourages students to recite Lord's Prayer in latest test of church-state separation, The Texas Tribune, via KSAT, 2025-09-02
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton sues Biden over minimum wage hike for federal contractors, KUT, 2022-02-10
School choice is legal in Texas, says Paxton, KFYO, 2023-03-21
Issues: Taxes & Cost of Living; Labor & Business; Health Care; Public Education; Energy & Environment; Immigration & Border Security; Corruption & Democracy; Freedom, Family & Faith, James Talarico campaign
Issues, Ken Paxton campaign
Ted Brown - Libertarian for U.S. Senator from Texas (platform), Ted Brown campaign