Elon Musk spent $158 million on GOP leadership. Dem candidate James Talarico says rallygoers are ‘my slingshot’ against the ‘Goliaths’ to win Texas

At a packed rally in Texas on Thursday, James Talarico compared his U.S.

Senate campaign to David — who fought Goliath — as the Democrat faces more than $158 million in outside spending by Republican leadership and the world’s richest man, Elon Musk.

Talarico told rallygoers under bright lights that David may not have had Goliath’s strength, but he had a slingshot.

“You are my slingshot,” he continued, without mentioning Musk or the other spending against him.

“We are going up against our own Goliaths.” The description falls in line with Talarico’s past rhetoric painting politics not as right versus left, but the ultrawealthy versus everyone else, as he tries to become the first Democrat to win statewide in over 30 years.

Talarico’s own campaign has raised record amounts of money in one of the nation’s more expensive and competitive Senate races.

The national conversation around Talarico’s campaign has evolved over the past months.

Initially, the state lawmaker was considered just the latest of several Democratic candidates over the past years who gave the party a hope of flipping Texas, only for that hope to deflate come Election Day.

Now, Talarico is seen as a real contender to win the seat against Republican candidate Ken Paxton .

Talarico’s success so far can partly be chalked up to voters’ apprehensions toward Paxton, who faced questions in his past over corruption , including being impeached by his own party in the Texas legislature.

He was later acquitted.

Texas will help decide control of the US Senate While outside spending in support of Paxton has flooded the Texas airwaves with ads, Talarico’s campaign itself has outpaced Paxton’s in fundraising from donors eager for Texas to forgo its solidly Republican title.

The prospect of a flagship GOP state turning blue doesn’t just fill Democrats with glee and Republicans with alarm.

Whoever wins will help determine which party controls the Senate in President Donald Trump’s final two years in office, making it either smooth sailing for Trump or a bog of investigations and opposition.