Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is getting some high-profile help from President Donald Trump as his race against Democratic state Representative James Talarico becomes considerably more competitive that Republicans might have expected.
The intervention comes as Talarico has emerged as a genuine threat in a state where Democrats have spent years trying to break the Republican hold on the statewide office. Recent polling has generally put Talarico slightly ahead of Paxton, prompting plenty of discussion about whether Democrats could finally pull off the Texas breakthrough they have been chasing for years.
President Donald Trump took to the social media platform Truth Social to post his unofficial endorsement for Ken Paxton. The endorsement comes in the form of an image featuring James Talarico with text over the front that lists out various things that he is allegedly in favor of.
Some of these include, “State income tax for Texas, gun confiscation, abortion on demand, wide open borders, amnesty for all illegals, sex change surgery for kids, pushing the LGBT agenda in schools, men in women’s sports and restrooms, packing the SCOTUS with leftist judges, abolishing the electoral college, abolishing prisons and the incarceration of criminals.”
Talarico’s polling strength is particularly notable considering how difficult Teas has historically been for Democrats at the statewide level. In fact, The Texas Tribune noted that Talarico has taken a larger lead over Paxton than Beto O’Rourke did during portions of his 2018 Senate campaign against Ted Cruz.
When it comes to Paxton, he also enters the general election carrying years of political and legal controversy that Democrats are attempting to put back in front of voters. Talarico had recently sought the release of depositions connected to an old civil fraud case involving a company that Paxton was tied to, which has affected his standing.
Comments and Reactions to Ken Paxton’s Texas Senate Race
Some commenters appear genuinely worried that Republicans could lose the seat, with one writing, “And the sad thing is that Beto 2.0 is probably going to win and flip Texas blue. Texas should be ashamed of itself.” Similarly, another person wrote, “Look his agenda and understand he has no talent at all. That is why he is the democrats.”
Paxton’s critics instead pointed towards his lengthy political history and questioned whether Republicans should be surprised that the race has tightened. A different commenter wrote, “If Trump says it, you already know it’s a lie.“
With Talarico competitive in polling and Republicans bringing Trump into the fight, the possibility of Texas electing a Democratic senator no longer seems quite as easy for either side to laugh off.
