Talarico Campaign Targets Paxton After Runoff Win Fallout

Within hours of Attorney General Ken Paxton’s runoff victory over sitting Texas Senator John Cornyn, James Talarico’s campaign launched a five-city tour across Texas, framing the race as a confrontation over Paxton’s record and arguing Paxton is acting like “a

When Attorney General Ken Paxton won his runoff election against sitting Texas Senator John Cornyn, James Talarico didn’t wait for the dust to settle. He moved fast—announcing a five-city blitz through Texas within hours, with stops in Houston, Nacogdoches, San Antonio, Leander, and Plano.

The campaign said more than 9,000 supporters turned out for the short-notice “The People vs. Ken Paxton” tour. aimed at defining Paxton—an attorney general. a MAGA devotee. and a figure the campaign says has been tainted by criminal allegations. legal troubles. and personal scandals. In Plano. the final stop on the tour and Paxton’s home turf. about 4. 000 Talarico supporters chanted “lock him up!” as they described the attorney general as “a corrupt. criminal. and immoral entity” and said he represents “the rot at the core” of American politics.

For Talarico. the runoff win isn’t just Paxton’s path forward—it’s proof. he argues. that Texas politics is changing and that his campaign can take advantage. The tour. he suggests. reflects his belief that Paxton’s victory over Cornyn is a win for his own chances of becoming the first Democrat to win a statewide election in Texas in over 30 years.

He also points to what he portrays as instability in Paxton’s political footing. Paxton. Talarico says. was considered the weaker primary candidate by his own party. and he brings “a mountain of personal and political baggage” into the race. Paxton, the campaign argues, also isn’t a powerhouse campaigner—an opening that gives Talarico room to force confrontation.

In an interview, Talarico framed Paxton as immune from accountability in ways he called false. “This idea that Ken Paxton is immune from accountability is a false narrative,” he told Rolling Stone. He described Paxton as “kind of like Trump without the charisma. or the sense of humor. or the star power. ” arguing it means “all the worst parts about Donald Trump. and none of the good parts.”.

That style—attacking Paxton’s record and personal conduct rather than trying to make the race entirely about the White House—runs through Talarico’s strategy. The campaign wants Paxton to meet them in person and be pinned down on a series of debates. something Talarico says Paxton has a habit of ducking with electoral challengers. “I ‘absolutely’ want to debate Paxton. ” Talarico added. with the insistence that ideally “multiple times.” He said Texans “deserve to see both candidates debating their proposals and their records. ” calling it “absolutely” necessary.

On the ground, the message has mixed with spectacle and community. After finishing a hand-shaking stretch in Leander—a northern suburb of Austin—Talarico stayed through lingering photos under intermittent oak shade and lattice water misters while sunscreens and lager lingered around the venue. Supporters shifted from Spurs gear they arrived in wearing to Talarico merch as the day went on. echoing a scene in San Antonio less than 48 hours earlier where the crowd chanted “Go. James. Go!” in a riff on “Go. Spurs. Go!”—a city chant that had been circulating all month.

On stage, the pitch sharpened. Talarico. 37 years old and beginning to gray. said. “I have a legislative record. Ken Paxton has a criminal record.” He juxtaposed the “astronomical wealth” Paxton has accumulated since taking office with what he described as the affordability struggles Texans face. “We have an affordability crisis because we have a corruption crisis,” he declared, as thousands cheered.

After the rally, Talarico said Paxton hasn’t faced the case he believes voters deserve. “No one has really prosecuted the case statewide against Paxton and his crimes,” he said. His goal. he added. is “actually articulate the choice that’s in front of voters in a way that Ken Paxton has never had to face.”.

Paxton’s political history is central to that choice. He has served three terms as Texas’ chief legal officer. but he has not—Talarico argues—been electorally tested since Republicans in the state legislature impeached him in 2023 on 20 articles. Those included bribery. alleged corruption. abuse of office in his dealings with Texas real estate developer Nate Paul. retaliation against whistleblowers. and obstruction of justice. Paxton was acquitted by the Texas Senate.

The impeachment has also been entangled, in Talarico’s framing, with political money. A Super PAC aligned with the attorney general donated and “loaned” $3 million to the campaign coffers of Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick. Patrick also serves as the president of the Senate presiding officer over the impeachment.

Paxton’s legal problems extend beyond state impeachment. He has been criminally indicted on charges of fraud by the Securities and Exchange Commission. The SEC alleged that Paxton. when he was a state lawmaker. tricked investors—including at least one Texas lawmaker—into buying stock in a tech firm without disclosing his own kickback arrangement with the company. That case hung over him for nine years. delayed by venue disputes and other technicalities. before being dropped after he agreed to pay out $271. 000 in restitution. perform 100 hours of community service. and take an ethics course.

Then there is Paxton’s family turmoil. Talarico points to scandals and infidelity that. the article says. became too much for Paxton’s wife. state Senator Angela Paxton. In July of last year. she filed for divorce. writing that she was separating from her husband on “biblical grounds. ” and adding that “in light of recent discoveries. ” she did not believe “that it honors God or is loving to myself. my children. or Ken to remain in the marriage.” Their divorce trial was slated for later this month. but it was recently canceled after they agreed “a trial setting is no longer necessary.”.

Talarico’s campaign says it is not letting Paxton hide behind the machinery of national politics. even though the national politics are present anyway. The article notes that comparisons between Paxton and Trump “write themselves. ” saying both are criminally indicted politicians accused of abusing the powers of their offices. alleged serial adulterers. and survivors of impeachment efforts. Even if Trump is absent from Talarico’s stump attacks. the campaign says he is still part of how Paxton is being sold to voters.

Paxton. the article says. spent the first week of his stint as the official Republican nominee not on the ground. but on a national media tour. The goal. according to the campaign’s depiction. was to turn the race into a referendum on Trumpism. touting his connection to the president and casting Talarico as a woke-obsessed radical leftist.

Talarico says he doesn’t want the fight to be only about Trump. “We’ve been talking about Donald Trump for 10 years now. and I’m ready to talk about something else. ” he told Rolling Stone. He said he’s trying to “extend an open hand rather than a closed fist” rather than capitalize on anger from the president’s supporters. Even so, the campaign’s own ads are built to spotlight Paxton’s alleged record.

After the runoff. Paxton’s first post-runoff ad highlighted a “sweetheart plea deal” Talarico gave to Adam Hoffman. a man who admitted to molesting a young boy over a period of three years. Talarico’s move. as described in the article. is meant to contrast Paxton’s “tough on crime” rhetoric with what Talarico calls his actual record as Texas’ attorney general.

Meanwhile. Paxton’s first post-runoff ad also highlighted Talarico’s support for transgender rights. immigration reform. and climate change. ending with an image of Trump and Paxton and a voiceover reminding viewers that “this is Texas. ” before flipping to an image of Talarico and declaring. “this is not.”.

The campaign says it wants to avoid letting Paxton force that national framing. arguing Paxton’s record is bad enough on its own and he doesn’t need additional help. The deeper reason is that Talarico’s pitch depends on presenting Paxton as untested—an attorney general who. in his view. historically benefited from cruising to the Republican nomination without having to campaign to win an election.

Talarico points to two exceptions. One was 2018. when amid a criminal indictment for fraud that Paxton later settled. he barely won reelection by three points over his Democratic challenger. The second came just months ago. when Paxton narrowly lost the Republican primary vote to Cornyn but managed to force a runoff after neither candidate won an outright majority. Talarico treats those moments as evidence his opponent’s ground is less stable than he wants voters to believe.

“Ken Paxton has never been up for election since he was impeached by his own party,” Talarico said. He argues many Texans voted for Trump in 2024 because they thought he would lower costs. but that “now they’ve seen everything get more expensive just one year into his term.” He called that disillusionment “real among a lot of Trump voters” and said his goal is to “provide them a home in this movement.”.

He also said he is not trying to relitigate 2024. “That’s why I don’t talk about Donald Trump very much. I’m focused on the future. Like how do we actually elect leaders who are going to fight for us, who are going to fight to unrig this economy?”

Even as he insists on looking forward. Talarico’s campaign also ties the Texas race to the broader political shifts driven by Trump’s time in office. The article says Trump made historic gains among Hispanic and Black voters. and that in Texas border counties that had not elected a Republican president in over a century were suddenly tinged red. It then says those gains appeared lethal to state Democrats—until Trump took office.

The campaign describes an erosion of those gains after tariff wars, hardline immigration enforcement, and widespread corruption. It also points to an oil and gas shock tied to Trump’s war against Iran as pummeling the freight-heavy, car-centric state.

The implication is simple in the way campaigns often understand it: it’s now up to Texans to decide at the polls.

On a weekend when San Antonio prepared for a winner-take-all Western Conference Finals Game 7. supporters queued outside Paper Tiger. a local music hall just off the city’s historic Pearl District. Staff passed out bottles of ice cold water as people shared sunscreen and UV umbrellas. Daniel. a Navy veteran raised in a conservative military household. said he sat out the 2024 election. voting for a “random” third-party candidate and hoping voters would not allow Trump to retake office. He said he feels needed to take a more direct hand this time around because. “I have daughters. ” and he said. “I would not want them to be in the Republican Party.”.

Chris. who described himself as a Republican. said he is voting mostly “against” Paxton but is interested in Talarico’s platform. “I think he’s moderate, which I like, despite how they portray him,” he said. He added that Paxton is “such an undeserving person” and called him “a criminal. ” while still holding the role of attorney general.

The crowd’s concerns were not limited to legal questions. The article says teachers and social workers are fretting over funding restrictions. the deviation of public funds to private and charter schools. and the demonization of their professions. Several women said reproductive choice is driving their motivation, with some noting they supported Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-Texas) in the Democratic primary but want a fair look at Talarico.

Even some of the campaign’s most personal touchstones—Talarico’s Presbyterian faith—landed with people who identify as conservative Christian. A young volunteer described the appeal this way: “I think we’re all still trying to figure out our spiritual journeys. and that’s always going to be an evolving conversation for every person. and I like that he brings it in in a way that is. I think. actually how the Bible is interpreted. that sound and cares about people in a real way.”.

Talarico, for his part, said the movement is open to everyone. “I do feel like there’s a lot of Trump supporters. Trump voters who come to events like this — particularly young people who voted for the president in 2024 — they voted for him primarily to lower costs. ” he said. He recalled what those voters expected: “They thought the economy in ‘17 and ‘18 and ‘19 was a good economy. and they were right.” He said they believed Trump would “end the forever wars. ” “drain the swamp. ” and “release the Epstein files.” “More than a year into this administration. he’s failed on all four counts. ” he added.

In his stump speech, Talarico presented himself as a candidate centered on service. He opened with a story about his great grandfather. a WWII veteran known affectionately as “Poppy. ” who loved Matthew 23:11: “The greatest among you will be a servant.” Talarico told the crowd that “Jesus is saying that real greatness is serving others. ” calling it “a radical idea in a world obsessed with power and wealth and status.”.

But the campaign’s message does not soften on Paxton. In San Antonio. Talarico told the crowd that “Three years ago this week. Ken Paxton was impeached by his own party for using his public office. his position of public trust to enrich himself and his billionaire donors at our expense is everything that’s wrong with politics.” He said Paxton “doesn’t serve us. he serves himself and his donors.”.

Talarico also cited what he described as the scale of Paxton’s wealth and living conditions: “Since taking office. Ken Paxton’s net worth has increased 7. 000 percent while our pay has remained stagnant.” He said Paxton has “11 homes. ” while many Texans can’t afford one. He also accused Paxton of taking bribes while blocking overtime pay for Texas workers and gutting health care. In his telling, “This is the rot at the core of our broken system. It’s why we can’t afford anything. It’s why we can’t get ahead, no matter how hard we work.”.

He drew a line straight to Paxton. “Not Trump. Not Republicans. Ken Paxton,” he said, describing that in his campaign pitch Paxton alone doesn’t just fail—he explains why the system has felt rigged.

Sitting at a picnic table in Leander days later. still wearing a blazer despite the mugginess of the mid-afternoon Texas sun. Talarico shifted back to the basketball world for a moment. He told the story of the Spurs. who had defeated the Oklahoma City Thunder the night before to advance to the NBA Finals. “I was a teacher in San Antonio the last time the Spurs were in the Finals. ” he recalled of the 2014 championship run.

He said the Spurs “always embodied this team ethos. ” with “never a ball hog. ” and he told his audience the latest roster embodies that kind of unity too. “I don’t think anyone thought we were gonna go this far. ” he mused. leaving unclear whether he meant the Spurs—or what he wants to prove in Texas politics.

Texas politics Ken Paxton James Talarico John Cornyn impeachment SEC fraud Angela Paxton Dan Patrick Democratic election runoff election campaign tour debates