Key takeaways from Texas primary election
Texas Senator John Cornyn lost the Republican primary race for Senate to Trump-endorsed state Attorney General Ken Paxton.
As more election forecasters move the Texas Senate race from Republican-favored to a toss-up, the candidates are stepping up to show not only Texas but the nation where they stand.
Both campaigns exchanged criticism on Aug. 20 over transgender athletes in women’s sports and allegations involving withheld records on animal abuse in Texas research labs.
In Austin, Democratic state Rep. James Talarico held a campaign event for puppies after an investigation by a left-leaning media outlet alleging Republican Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton blocked the release of records on more than 400 dogs in research labs.
In North Texas, Paxton attended a Dallas Wings game against the Indiana Fever with his daughter to show what he calls his “support for protecting women’s sports.”
Here is a look at the events and issues at play in a single day in the Texas Senate race.
Paxton targets Talarico over transgender athletes in women’s sports
Paxton and his daughter, Mattie Hayworth, were spotted at American Airlines Center in Dallas on Aug. 20 and brought up the issue of transgender athletes in women’s sports, taking aim at Talarico for advocating to protect the rights of transgender athletes.
“Female athletes train their entire lives for the chance to compete at the highest level, only to have that dream ripped away by people like James Talarico who refuse to admit there is a difference between men and women,” Paxton said in a statement. “Extremists like Talarico are continually willing to sacrifice the safety of women to appease a belief system that falls completely outside the culture, norms and values of everyday Texans.”
Paxton pointed out that Talarico voted against House Bill 25 (2021) and Senate Bill 15 (2023), which became law and restricted transgender athletes from playing on K-12 and college sports teams, respectively.
USA TODAY reached out to the Talarico campaign for comment on Paxton’s remarks and did not receive a response.
Talarico criticizes Paxton for blocking records on alleged dog abuse in labs
Democratic Senate candidate James Talarico criticized Republican Ken Paxton after MeidasTouch News published an Aug. 19 investigation alleging Paxton helped block access to records related to animal research at Texas A&M University. USA TODAY could not independently verify the allegations.
The requests came after the university informed the U.S. Department of Agriculture that it had used 428 dogs and 15 cats for research and that at least 100 of those dogs experienced pain during testing. USA TODAY could not independently verify the claims in the story.
Talarico used the investigation to criticize Paxton’s alleged misdoing and hosted a “Puppies for Talarico” event in partnership with the Austin Humane Society on Aug. 20 to advocate for puppy adoption
“Ken Paxton will never fight for the little guy — even when the little guy is literally a puppy,” Talarico said in a statement. “In the state House, I authored and passed a bipartisan bill to strengthen kennel safety and keep our pets safe. In the Senate, I’ll protect puppies from corrupt politicians like Ken Paxton.”
Both the investigation and the campaign highlighted that Paxton, when he was a state representative in 2011, was one of 15 Republicans who voted no to House Bill 963, which became law and requires convicted animal abusers to pay for housing and care for animals during court proceedings.
USA TODAY reached out to the Paxton campaign for a response to Talarico’s remarks but has not heard back.
Mateo Rosiles is the Texas Connect reporter for USA TODAY and its regional papers in Texas. Got a news tip for him? Email him at mrosiles@usatodayco.com.