On a sunny mid-July evening, dozens packed into a community center in Memorial, one of west Houston’s cushier neighborhoods, to meet state Representative James Talarico, the Austin Democrat whose reedy shoulders presently bear the weight of many Texas liberals’ dreams. Before breaking quorum in August with his fellow House Democrats, the 36-year-old former teacher was already laying the groundwork for his now-formal run for U.S. Senate—traveling to rallies across the state, appearing on Joe Rogan’s podcast, and, on that day, helping to kick off the Texas Democratic Party’s “candidate recruitment program” in Houston, in partnership with the Texas Majority PAC (TMP).
Backed by the liberal megadonor George Soros and his family and led by veterans of Beto O’Rourke’s two statewide campaigns, TMP has quickly grown into a central vehicle for Texas Democrats’ long-dashed ambitions to flip the state, thanks to one of the largest political investments in recent memory. During the 2024 election—a transcendental horror for Democrats, who saw historic losses nearly across the board—the group spent roughly $10 million. Going forward, the Texas Observer has learned, TMP hopes to have a budget of at least $20 million for each cycle through 2032.
If up-and-coming candidates like Talarico carry the weight of Democratic hopes, groups like TMP are meant to provide the scaffolding—which perhaps helps explain why Attorney General Ken Paxton targeted TMP with an investigation over its alleged role in the House quorum break. (TMP Executive Director Katherine Fischer denies her group played any role.) TMP’s initiative alongside the Texas Democratic Party, dubbed Blue Texas, intends to mobilize thousands of volunteers, target and turn out voters, deliver financial resources to local county parties, and recruit candidates to contest every legislative and congressional seat in the state. Through this partnership, TMP takes on many of the load-bearing costs while also overseeing the data and on-the-ground organizers.
