In the final weeks before an election, a Democrat in Texas is attempting something his party has long failed to do: win statewide in a state that has resisted it for three decades. James Talarico, a state representative and seminarian, is running against Republican Ken Paxton, whose past troubles, including an impeachment he survived by acquittal, have made voters uneasy. The contest matters well beyond the Lone Star State, because its outcome may shape whether the Senate spends the remaining years of Donald Trump's presidency cooperating with him or checking him.
Talarico Rallies in San Marcos as Underdog Texas Senate Bid Against Paxton Enters Final Weeks
A flagship Republican state, and a Democrat with a real shot
Mark
Why is this race getting so much attention?
Mimi
Because Texas is a flagship Republican state, and the winner helps decide Senate control for Trump's last two years.
Mark
What changed about how Talarico is viewed?
Mimi
He was seen as one more Democrat who stirred hope and then faded. Now he's called a real contender.
Luke
Worth noting that's a shift in perception. The reporting doesn't offer polling numbers here, so he is still described as an underdog.
Mark
What about the money?
Mimi
$64 million in the third quarter, which his campaign called a Senate record. Republicans have answered with more than $124 million in super PAC ads for Paxton.
Luke
The record claim comes from the campaign itself. The ad figure is clearer, but it's outside spending, not Paxton's own fundraising.
Mark
And the Ohio rumor?
Mimi
He was out nine days with the flu, and a false claim spread that he was in a treatment center. It collapsed on inspection.
Luke
Right, and the source calls it false, so that one is settled. How much it mattered to voters is unknown.
Mark
Why keep Sanders off the stage?
Mimi
He's keeping distance from Biden and his party, courting voters across a mixed map.
El Pulso
- Talarico is drawing crowds in San Marcos as his underdog Senate bid enters its last weeks, and what was once dismissed as another doomed Texas push now looks like a serious threat.
- Voter unease over Paxton's corruption questions and past impeachment is pulling against a Republican advantage that should make this race easy.
- A nine-day flu absence sparked a wild online rumor about a mental health facility in Ohio, and the claim collapsed quickly under scrutiny.
- Talarico has raised a record $64 million in the third quarter, while Trump rallies and more than $124 million in GOP super PAC ads are racing to shore up Paxton.
- The race remains a toss-up in the balance, with the closing weeks deciding whether this year's hope for Texas holds where earlier ones collapsed.
In the final weeks before an election, a Democrat in Texas is attempting something his party has long failed to do: win statewide in a state that has resisted it for three decades. James Talarico, a state representative and seminarian, is running against Republican Ken Paxton, whose past troubles, including an impeachment he survived by acquittal, have made voters uneasy. The contest matters well beyond the Lone Star State, because its outcome may shape whether the Senate spends the remaining years of Donald Trump's presidency cooperating with him or checking him.
On Thursday, James Talarico was set to address supporters in San Marcos, a small city south of Austin, as his campaign for the U.S. Senate entered its final weeks. He is trying to become the first Democrat to win statewide in Texas in more than thirty years, and he is doing it as the underdog.
Nationally, the story of the race has changed. Talarico, a state representative, was first seen as the latest Democrat to stir hopes of flipping Texas only to watch them fade on Election Day. Now he is widely regarded as a real contender against Paxton. Much of that comes from voter wariness about Paxton's past corruption questions and his impeachment by his own party, from which he was later acquitted. Money matters too: Talarico outraised Paxton by a wide margin, bringing in $64 million in the third quarter, a record for a Senate candidate.
Earlier this month Talarico was out of view for nine days with the flu, and that silence fed online conspiracy theories, including a false claim that he was in an Ohio mental health center. The story collapsed under scrutiny.
Talarico has tried to speak across a varied map, from Democratic metro areas to border towns that flipped red to rural high plains, while keeping distance from the Biden administration and from parts of his own party. His message centers on rising costs that voters say worry them most.
Republicans see the danger. Trump has rallied for Paxton several times, and the Senate Leadership Fund has spent more than $124 million on ads supporting him. The stakes extend past Texas, since the winner may help decide which party controls the Senate for the last two years of Trump's term. With the rally behind him, Talarico has only the closing weeks to prove that this hope will hold where others did not.
On Thursday, James Talarico was scheduled to stand before supporters in San Marcos, a small city south of Austin, as his campaign for the U.S. Senate in Texas moved into its last weeks. The Democrat is trying to become the first member of his party to win statewide in Texas in more than 30 years, and he is doing it as an underdog.
The way the race is discussed nationally has shifted over the past months. Talarico, a state representative, was first treated as the latest in a series of Democratic candidates in recent years who raised hopes of flipping Texas, only to see those hopes deflate on Election Day. Now he is regarded as a real contender for the seat against Republican Ken Paxton.
Part of that standing comes from voter wariness about Paxton. He has faced questions about corruption in his past, including impeachment by his own party in the Texas legislature. He was later acquitted. Money is another part of the picture: Talarico has far outraised Paxton, bringing in $64 million in the third quarter, which his campaign described as a record for a Senate candidate.
The San Marcos event follows a stretch earlier this month when Talarico was out of public view for nine days with the flu. His absence set off a wave of online conspiracy theories, among them the false claim that he was at a mental health treatment center in Ohio. Conservative social media influencers shared it, but it fell apart quickly under scrutiny.
Talarico, who is also a seminarian, has tried to travel as nonpartisan a path as he can across a varied map: the big metro areas that already lean Democratic, the border towns that flipped from blue to red in the last election, and the Republican-leaning rural high plains and desert. He has put distance between himself and former President Joe Biden's administration, and between himself and his own party. Progressive Sen. Bernie Sanders is coming to Texas this month, but he will not share a stage with Talarico.
His message targets what voters say worries them most: costs that have climbed for years.
Republicans see the threat. Trump has made several trips to Texas to rally for Paxton, and the Senate Leadership Fund, the GOP's leadership super PAC, has spent more than $124 million on ads backing him. Paxton has struggled to gain traction in a contest that would otherwise be relatively easy for a Republican.
The stakes reach beyond Texas. Whoever wins will help decide which party controls the Senate during the final two years of President Donald Trump's term, which could mean either smooth sailing for him or a thicket of investigations and opposition. With the rally behind him, Talarico now has only the closing weeks to test whether this year's hope holds up where earlier ones did not.
Citas Notables
Talarico's campaign described its $64 million third-quarter haul as a record for a Senate candidate.— Talarico campaign
Quieres la nota completa?
Lee el original en St. Paul Pioneer Press ↗
Politics & Governance