Democrats believe they have their clearest opening in years to break the Republican hold on Texas, and they are pinning it on James Talarico, a former teacher and Presbyterian seminarian now running for the U.S. Senate. His polling leads are wider than any Democrat recorded against Ted Cruz in 2018, when Beto O’Rourke came closer than anyone in decades.

The money tells a more complicated story than the polls. Talarico has raised far more than his opponent in direct contributions, while Republican outside groups have poured in roughly ten times as much again to keep the seat.

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From Fox News:

What’s more, Talarico’s campaign raised $64 million from July through September, more than three times Trump-backed candidate Ken Paxton’s $18 million haul over the same period. Since launching his campaign, Talarico has raised more than $146 million.

But Paxton, currently the state’s attorney general, has enjoyed Republican outside groups pouring more than $200 million into Texas to support him, nearly all of it bankrolled by Elon Musk, the world’s richest man. Additionally, MAGA Inc., President Donald Trump’s principal super PAC, has spent another $33.7 million on ads backing Paxton, according to AdImpact.

“David wasn’t as big or as strong as Goliath. He didn’t have as many weapons, but he had hope. He had faith, and he had a slingshot,” he said. “Dallas, you are my slingshot. The people of Texas are my slingshot.”

The race has drawn the president repeatedly to a state he carried comfortably twice. Trump campaigned with Paxton in Lubbock on the night of Oct. 27, shifting his rally time so it overlapped with a Talarico event about four miles away. Talarico’s campaign said more than 4,000 people signed up for its own Lubbock stop, forcing a move to the larger Fiesta Center.

Paxton reached the general election after a costly primary that divided Texas Republicans. He defeated sitting Sen. John Cornyn in the May runoff, a result that left party activists split and gave Democrats an argument about electability that they have pressed at every stop. Paxton’s past legal controversies and his impeachment by the Texas House have surfaced repeatedly in interviews with voters, including some who describe themselves as longtime Republicans.

Talarico’s supporters have adopted “Talafreako,” a nickname first used against him as a dig by Republicans and the president, and he has leaned into it from the stage. At the Dallas rally he framed the contest as a David and Goliath fight, casting his backers as the slingshot against well-funded interests.

Election Day is Nov. 3, and the outcome will settle two questions at once: whether a Democrat can win statewide in Texas for the first time in three decades, and whether the donor coalition behind Paxton can still carry a nominee with his record.

Texas is the largest red state left standing, and a loss there would not merely cost Republicans a Senate seat. It would hand Democrats a proof of concept for every state they have written off. Christians should weigh the candidates rather than the imagery, and not fall for lies. “For the LORD seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the LORD looketh on the heart” (1 Samuel 16:7). Pray for Texas voters to judge rightly, and for courage among those who must answer for their record.

Let’s pray for the voters of Texas as they weigh this race, for both candidates and their families, and for the pastors and church leaders in that state who will help their people think through it. Ask God for discernment that cuts through advertising and applause, and for leaders who will govern with integrity once the votes are counted.

How are you praying about this issue? Share your prayers and scriptures in the comments below.

(Excerpt from Fox News. Photo Credit: Wikimedia Commons by Antonioaesparza: https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?search=talarico&title=Special%3AMediaSearch&type=image).