Texas Senate Race: Ken Paxton Faces James Talarico

Republican Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, who defeated incumbent Senator John Cornyn in the Republican primary, is running for the U.S. Senate with strong backing from former President Donald Trump. In a Fox News interview Paxton said, “I think it’s pretty easy to do in Texas because this guy doesn’t represent Texas values.”

Democrat state Rep. James Talarico is the party’s nominee. His campaign has drawn sharp criticism for past remarks, including a 2021 statement that “God is non‑binary” and claims that there are “six biological variations.” Talarico’s controversial comments on religion, gender and immigration have been highlighted in media commentary, from Bill Maher’s comparison of the candidates to “Attila the Hun versus a nice guy” to a social‑media dispute where Stephen Miller incorrectly labeled Talarico as transgender.

Both candidates are campaigning hard as the race could affect the partisan balance of the U.S. Senate, with national observers watching the contest closely.