Has Sanders Endorsed Talarico? No, and Booker Falls to 4%

Bernie Sanders has not endorsed James Talarico in the Texas Senate race, and Talarico will not appear at Sanders' "Fighting Oligarchy" rally in El Paso on Oct. 19, his campaign told The New York Times, according to Newsweek and the Washington Examiner. Kentucky's Charles Booker is also absent from Ballotpedia's 2026 list of Sanders Senate endorsements.

No directly sourced polling figures were verified in this check.

In Kalshi's "Who will Bernie Sanders endorse before the midterms?" market, Booker's contract fell from 20% to 4% over three days, ending at 4% on Oct. 15. The reporting on Sanders' Texas trip does not mention Booker, and we could not establish the cause of the move.

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What the Sources Show on Sanders' Endorsements

Ballotpedia's list of Sanders' 2026 Senate endorsements names Graham Platner in Maine, Ed Markey in Massachusetts, Abdul El-Sayed in Michigan and Peggy Flanagan in Minnesota. Neither Talarico nor Booker appears on it.

Sanders will be in El Paso with Beto O'Rourke and Rep. Greg Casar, both Democrats, on Oct. 19, the first day of Texas early voting, Newsweek reports. The tour also lists an Amarillo stop that day and a Houston rally on Oct. 20, both featuring Casar and O'Rourke.

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Charles Booker's Sanders Endorsement Market: Price and Recent Path

The 4% figure is the market-implied probability that Booker receives a Sanders endorsement under this contract before resolution on Nov. 4. It is a traded price, not a poll or a measure of voter support.

Live market odds

2 venues

Who will Bernie Sanders endorse before the midterms?

Each outcome's chance, from what traders are paying right now on Kalshi and Polymarket.

Charles BookerIn this story

18%

Kalshi5.00x20¢

Antonio Delgado - NY-Gov

2%

Polymarket31.25x3.2¢

James Talarico - TX-Sen

5%

PolymarketBest price14.29x7¢Kalshi12.66x7.9¢

Dan Osborn - NE-Sen

6%

PolymarketBest price11.11x9¢Kalshi10.10x9.9¢

Kshama Sawant - WA-09: under 1% eachShow all

New to Kalshi? Get a $35 trading bonus

Code PRED35. New users only. Eligibility restrictions and terms apply.

Claim offer

Compare every venueCents per $1 payout, before fees

The 4% mark is the lowest price in the recorded three-day window.

1D7D30D

This is a multi-outcome market. The remaining 96% is the chance that Booker is not endorsed, not a price on any single named rival.

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Why Did Booker's Odds Fall?

We found no reporting that explains the drop. A Lexington Herald Leader profile published in May 2026 does not mention a Sanders endorsement, so it does not explain the move. Talarico's absence from the El Paso rally concerns Sanders' Texas stop. It is not evidence about Booker.

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Are There Polls for Charles Booker and a Sanders Endorsement?

This check located no public poll on whether Sanders will endorse Booker, or anyone else. Polls measure voter preference in elections. An endorsement is one politician's decision, so the market is the only live measure of this question.

The Texas race has polling. Newsweek cites a Marist survey showing Talarico ahead of Ken Paxton 47% to 45% among likely voters, inside the margin of error. That figure measures vote intention in Texas, not Sanders' endorsement plans, and it says nothing about Booker.

Readers tracking every outcome can follow the full Bernie Sanders midterm endorsement market. The contract settles on whether Sanders actually issues an endorsement before the deadline, not on rally appearances or polling.