A bombshell report exposed that James Talarico abused his position on the Texas Education Committee to help steer two contracts worth $3.5 million and $1.6 million to the DEI-consulting agency that he was a contractor for.
His reward?
A payment worth 600% of his current salary.
Read the full story here and highlights below.
September 17, 2026
Senate Democratic nominee James Talarico, who has repeatedly accused his Republican opponent, Ken Paxton, of corruption, is now facing Republican accusations of "blatant corruption" over consulting work he performed for a progressive firm while serving on the Texas House's influential Public Education Committee.
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Paxton has projected confidence that, after emerging from a particularly bitter primary race, Texans will respond to his campaign once they hear his message. Talarico, meanwhile, has continued targeting Paxton through major ad buys, including one in which the Democrat calls him "the most corrupt politician in Texas"
Republicans are now responding with allegations of their own, characterizing Talarico's past arrangement with the consulting firm as a "textbook pay-to-play scheme."
They are pointing to paychecks Talarico received from a firm called MAYA Consulting that simultaneously drew in millions in state contracts awarded by the Texas Education Agency (TEA), which he helped provide oversight to as a member of the Public Education Committee.
Talarico announced he was joining MAYA Consulting in a 2019 Facebook post. In the post, he stated that as a consultant he would be "working with districts, nonprofits, and communities to build excellent and equitable educational opportunities for all our students."
According to a Senate campaign financial disclosure filed in 2025, Talarico worked with MAYA Consulting, which has since been rebranded as VIDA Collaborative, from 2019 until 2025.
During those same years, official legislative records show that Talarico served as a voting member of the Texas House's Public Education Committee from 2019 to 2025. Among its responsibilities, the committee oversees the Texas Education Agency, which awards government contracts to firms for services, including then-MAYA Consulting.
TEA registers from 2021 and 2022 show that the agency awarded MAYA two contracts worth $3.578 million and $1.635 million, respectively. The contracts were related to priorities Talarico was pushing in the Texas House at the time, including addressing learning loss due to COVID-19.
Meanwhile, Talaricoâs disclosure shows that he earned $83,333.40 from the nonprofit in 2025, in addition to his $13,904.92 part-time salary as a member of the Texas House of Representatives.
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However, Republican National Committee spokesman Zach Kraft accused Talarico of wrongdoing, calling the Democratâs involvement with MAYA an example of "blatant corruption."
"We are looking at a textbook pay-to-play scheme with James Talarico steering millions in taxpayer funds to his DEI consulting agency under the condition he gets commission through a scam no-show job," Kraft told Fox News Digital.
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Kraft alleged that Talarico is "one of the most morally bankrupt individuals to ever run for public office in Texas."
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Meanwhile, Madison Cercy, a spokeswoman for Paxton's campaign, told Fox News Digital, "It couldnât be clearer: James Talarico sees Texans tax dollars as his own personal slush fund."
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