Texas Democrats Launch 254-County Strategy for 2026 Elections

Texas Democratic Party Chairman Kendall Scudder has launched a 254-county infrastructure strategy to organize the party for the 2026 elections. Scudder reports that the party is more organized than it was in 2018, having recruited over 1,000 precinct chairs. He notes that statewide candidates, including James Talarico, are currently polling within the margin of error.

Despite James Talarico raising a record $64 million in the third quarter, the party faces a significant financial gap. Ken Paxton is receiving heavy support from Elon Musk, who donated over $150 million to the Senate Leadership Fund PAC, with a large portion of those funds directed toward Texas. Scudder vowed that a Democratic victory would lead to the pursuit of campaign finance reform to limit such large donations.

Scudder also highlighted a shift among Latino voters in South Texas, who are returning to the Democratic party due to dissatisfaction with the economic policies and tariffs of Donald Trump. Speaker of the House Mike Johnson has identified South Texas as a deciding region for the control of Congress.