Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is now the Republican Party’s nominee for Senate after he defeated incumbent Sen. John Cornyn in Tuesday’s runoff election.
State Rep. James Talarico, the Democratic nominee, was clearly prepared for this and his campaign has kicked into gear to exploit what they perceive as Paxton’s weaknesses. Indeed, the campaign raised $600,000 in two hours, according to Politico.
Shortly after Paxton’s victory, Talarico extended an olive branch and an invitation to Cornyn’s supporters in a post on X. “I want to thank Senator John Cornyn for his years representing our state,” the candidate wrote. “We don’t agree on everything, but we both still believe in public service. To Senator Cornyn’s supporters: you have a place in our campaign.”
I want to thank Senator John Cornyn for his years representing our state.
— James Talarico (@jamestalarico) May 27, 2026
We don’t agree on everything, but we both still believe in public service.
To Senator Cornyn’s supporters: you have a place in our campaign.
Talarico’s strategy is to build a coalition of disenchanted Republicans, moderate independents, and younger black and Latino voters who have also become disaffected with the Democratic Party in recent years. With his massive fundraising effort, he hopes to leverage Paxton’s scandals and other issues to win over voters in a state where Democrats have not won a Senate seat since the late 1980s.
Talarico’s messaging will center on his record of passing bipartisan legislation on issues like property taxes, teacher pay, housing, child care, and prescription drug costs. But he is also trying to delineate himself from the Democratic Party’s establishment wing by supporting tighter border security and supporting the state’s oil and gas industry. His campaign believes this could help the candidate reach right-leaning voters who are not enthused about Paxton or their party.
Paxton comes into the race with some important strengths. He not only defeated a sitting senator, but he also has President Donald Trump’s endorsement. The attorney general is a hero to the MAGA populist wing of the party due to his loyalty to the president and his pugilistic approach to dealing with the Biden administration.
Still, there are weaknesses that Talarico has already begun to exploit. These include a history of scandals and controversy, namely, a dismissed securities fraud case that ended with a settlement, extramarital affairs, and his connection with an Austin-based real estate developer.
Just minutes after Paxton’s victory was announced, Talarico released a video in which he referred to his opponent as “The most corrupt politician in America” and noted that “Ken Paxton was impeached by his own party for using his public office to enrich himself and his donors at the expense of people.”
“ That kind of corruption is the rot at the core of this broken system,” Talarico continued. “It's why we can't afford anything. It's why we can't get ahead no matter how hard we work. For 50 years, mega donors and their puppet politicians like Ken Paxton have stolen from us with their bribes, their bailouts, and their billionaire tax breaks. Ken Paxton has gotten away with it. They've all gotten away. But that ends this year, in this state, in this race.”
Ken Paxton is the most corrupt politician in America.
— James Talarico (@jamestalarico) May 27, 2026
He embodies the broken system we’re running against.
It’s time to come together: The People vs. Ken Paxton pic.twitter.com/xL3cckibX9
The candidate framed his campaign as “The people versus Ken Paxton.”
Still, despite his popularity among Democratic voters, Talarico has a Mt. Everest to climb if he wants to have any chance of defeating Paxton. Even with Paxton’s baggage, Talarico’s past statements on gender ideology, Christianity, sexuality, and other issues would put a bad taste in most Texans’ mouths. He will struggle to fend off Paxton’s attacks portraying him as too leftist for the Lone Star State.