A new ad for Texas U.S. Senate candidate James Talarico has accused his opponent, Ken Paxton, of “chickening out,” sparking mockery of the Republican online. As Paxton continues to avoid debating Talarico, some Texas residents are mocking his perceived cowardice, arguing he would be easily defeated in a debate with the Democrat.
In the ad, Paxton is accused of avoiding a debate with Talarico after reportedly declining to participate even after NBC, WFAA, and KXAN invited him. According to the ad, Paxton has continued to say he’s only “ironing out the details” of his participation for weeks, but still hasn’t committed to a date before the November election.
Paxton has reportedly not debated anyone in 12 years, since his election as Texas Attorney General, and the ad goes as far as to imply that he’ll lose the election if he decides to debate Talarico.
Ken Paxton Criticized By Texas Residents
Liberal-leaning Redditors on r/Texas largely agreed with the ad, believing that Paxton was, indeed, running away from a debate and mocking him for it. One of them cracked a joke at his expense: “If you’re scared, say you’re scared.”
Other liberals argued: “Paxton can’t defend how he got his wealth, can’t defend his personal life, can’t defend his policies, can’t defend his corruption, and the christian virtue-signaling doesn’t hold up against an actual preacher… So yeah. I’m not surprised he’s refusing to debate.”
Someone else answered: “Besides that, he has a terrible camera presence & voice. It’s why he’s never debated, & why there aren’t ads with him speaking, because even those who are supportive of his policies are turned off when they see & hear him speak.” Another one added: “Even his stump speeches, which give him every opportunity to practice and smooth out the delivery, are evidently pretty lackluster.”
A seemingly irritated person also took the opportunity to make fun of the Republican: “So they are voting for him because he’s the best… adulterous person ever? I don’t get it. Values that are.. positive don’t count anymore?” One Texan responded: “MAGA have totally lost the plot. They’re an embarrassment. Republicans demographics want loud leaders, and no loud Republican is going to survive this tide.”
It’s still too early to tell whether Paxton will agree to a debate with Talarico. If a debate happens, it would probably take place between the end of September and the beginning of October, when the television channels set the proposed dates.
