# This Week’s Election Returns Confirm That Money Can’t Buy Politicians Love

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/this-weeks-election-returns-confirm-that-money-cant-buy-politicians-love/
- Published: 2026-11-04T19:40:52+00:00
- Updated: 2026-11-05T04:34:20+00:00
- Original publisher: Reason (publisher lean: Right)
- Original article: https://reason.com/2026/11/04/this-weeks-returns-confirm-that-money-cant-buy-politicians-love/
- Topics: Elections, Politics

## Key points

- Texas’s record spending did not prevent Paxton’s 12-point defeat.
- Democrats won several Texas statewide races despite being heavily outspent.
- Campaign funding can help reach voters, but does not assure victory.

## Summary

The article argues that the 2026 US midterm results show campaign spending does not guarantee electoral success. In Texas, Democrat James Talarico defeated Republican Ken Paxton by 12 points despite Paxton and his supporters spending substantially more, while Democrats also won several other statewide races.

Texas’s Senate contest drew $573 million in advertising by 30 October, making it the most expensive non-presidential race on record, according to AdImpact. Elsewhere, Democrat Amy Acton beat Republican Vivek Ramaswamy in Ohio despite being outspent nearly three to one, and Georgia Republican Rick Jackson lost after spending far more than Democrat Keisha Lance Bottoms. The article says campaign money can help candidates reach and motivate voters, but cites research suggesting advertising has limited power to change their minds.

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Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.