Talarico reacts to Paxton’s nomination for US Senate
Democratic state Rep. James Talarico shared a video to social media Tuesday night reacting to Texas AG Ken Paxton being nominated as his opponent for the November election.
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- The Texas U.S. Senate race between Republican Ken Paxton and Democrat James Talarico remains in a dead heat, according to recent polls.
- Paxton has secured endorsements from 18 Republican members of Congress and former President Donald Trump.
- Talarico has received support from notable figures, including one of Paxton’s former impeachment defense attorneys.
The U.S. Senate race in Texas remains in a dead heat as Republican Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and Democratic state Rep. James Talarico compete to replace U.S. Sen. John Cornyn.
However, Republicans are coalescing around Paxton, with the campaign announcing that 18 Republican members of Congress are backing him. Notable endorsements include House Budget Committee Chairman Rep. Jodey Arrington, R-Lubbock, and House Republican Study Committee Chairman Rep. August Pfluger, R-Midland, among others.
“I’m honored to have the support of these outstanding members of Congress, and I look forward to fighting alongside them to deliver results for the people of Texas,” Paxton said in a news release. “We are united because we know what’s at stake in this election.”
Paxton also has the endorsement of President Donald Trump, which he earned in the Republican primary runoff in May.
But Paxton’s announcement drew criticism from Talarico’s campaign, with a spokesperson saying that Republicans are impeaching him — in the Texas House — on charges including bribery, “so it’s no wonder that several Republican representatives from Texas are refusing to endorse his campaign.”
Here’s a look at who’s supporting which campaign and who isn’t.
U.S. House Republicans backing Paxton
The list of U.S. House Republicans backing Paxton is:
- Rep. Craig Goldman (R-TX12)
- Rep. Monica De La Cruz (R-TX15)
- Rep. Nathaniel Moran (R-TX01)
- Rep. Pat Fallon (R-TX04)
- Rep. Lance Gooden (R-TX05)
- Rep. August Pfluger (R-TX11)
- Rep. Randy Weber (R-TX14)
- Rep. Jodey Arrington (R-TX19)
- Rep. Troy Nehls (R-TX22)
- Rep. Beth Van Duyne (R-TX24)
- Rep. Roger Williams (R-TX25)
- Rep. John Carter (R-TX31)
- Rep. Brandon Gill (R-TX26)
- Rep. Brian Babin (R-TX36)
- Rep. Michael Cloud (R-TX27)
- Rep. Pete Sessions (R-TX17)
- Rep. Wesley Hunt (R-TX38)
- Rep. Ronny Jackson (R-TX13)
Texas Republicans who haven’t endorsed Paxton
In total, Texas has 24 Republican House members, meaning six have not said whether they are backing Paxton. The six include:
- Rep. Dan Crenshaw (R-TX02)
- Rep. Keith Self (R-TX03)
- Rep. Jake Ellzey (R-TX06)
- Rep. Morgan Luttrell (R-TX08)
- Rep. Michael McCaul (R-TX10)
- Rep. Chip Roy (R-TX21)
Who is backing James Talarico?
USA TODAY reached out to Talarico’s campaign for a list of Democratic U.S. House members who have backed his campaign, but the list was not immediately made available.
However, previous reporting by USA TODAY shows that Talarico has gained the backing of other notable figures, including former President Barack Obama, who visited Austin in May to show support for the candidate but did not formally endorse.
In June, Dan Cogdell, a Houston-based attorney who served on Paxton’s defense team during the 2023 impeachment trial, which ended with Paxton’s acquittal in the Texas Senate, endorsed Talarico.
U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett, D-Dallas, who ran against Talarico in the Democratic primary, called for Democrats to rally behind the party’s nominees. However, Crockett told the Dallas Morning News in mid-June that she was unsure if she would actively campaign for or with Talarico.
Who is U.S. Sen. Cornyn backing in the Texas Senate race?
Cornyn has not made public whom he is backing for his Senate seat after falling to Paxton in the May Republican primary runoff in Texas.
As previously reported by USA TODAY, Cornyn was critical of Paxton during the bitter runoff election, saying Paxton is “an albatross around the neck of our candidates and would likely lose to James Talarico.”
In a June 2 interview with KVUE, Cornyn stood by his criticisms of Paxton, even doubling down on the idea that the Texas attorney general is not fit to serve.
Latest Texas U.S. Senate polls
A new poll from Emerson College Polling/Nexstar Media, released on Aug. 13, showed that the Texas Senate race is a dead heat with Paxton at 47% and Talarico at 46%.
A Texas Pulse/Texas A&M Bush School poll, released on Aug. 7, showed 47% of likely Texas voters plan to support Talarico, while 43% choose Paxton, a lead within the poll’s 4.7-percentage-point margin of error.
Before that, an Aug. 4 poll from Texas Southern University’s Barbara Jordan Public Policy Research and Survey Center showed Talarico (47%) leading Paxton (45%) by 2 percentage points — within the poll’s 2.83-percentage-point margin of error.
This comes after a Fox News poll, released July 30, showed Talarico leading Paxton by 3 percentage points within the poll’s margin of error, 51% to 48%.
The only poll to show a candidate leading outside the poll’s margin of error is the Texas Public Opinion Research poll released on July 28, which showed Talarico leading Paxton by 5 percentage points, 45% to 40%. It is directed by Democratic strategist Luke Warford, but the firm describes itself as nonpartisan.
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.