Big Endorsement for Paxton in Critical TX Senate Race Is Not Going to Make Talarico Happy

If you believe the polls, it's a very tight race in Texas between Ken Paxton and James Talarico for the U.S. Senate seat.

It's a critical seat that the Republicans need to hold onto, not only for Texas, but in order to hold the Senate, with tight races in multiple other states. 

It's hard to believe that anyone would support the Democrat candidate James Talarico. There's so much on the record besides his extreme statements and actions — things like missing 800+ votes in the state legislature and wanting a promotion after that. Yet, he's been trying to sell himself as a moderate, as we saw during his CNN town hall, and claiming things like he never called for abolishing Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) when he did. There's enough there for folks in Texas to see what a slippery character he actually is. 

Now Paxton may just have been given a big boost in the state with a critical endorsement — from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.

The endorsement comes months after Paxton defeated the chamber’s original choice in the contest, Sen. John Cornyn, in a contentious primary runoff. Paxton, the state attorney general, now faces Democratic state Rep. James Talarico, who is trying to become the first Democrat to win statewide office in decades.

In order to win, Talarico has to hope that many on the right or in the center abandon the Republicans over Paxton. The Chamber's move is a sign to others to stick with Paxton. 

Important.

— Ted Cruz (@tedcruz) October 18, 2026

Surprisingly, CNN also noted this in the story about the endorsement.

Paxton, a well-known culture warrior, has sought to center his general election campaign around more economic issues that are important to groups such as the US Chamber of Commerce. He has proposed new tax deductions to lower the cost of living and gone after Talarico for voting against a 2019 bill to constitutionally ban an income tax in Texas, a state which does not currently have one.

So if the people of Texas needed any more reasons to vote for Paxton, there are a couple more very important economic reasons. 

You can have the guy who will help out the economy and your wallet in the state, or the guy from the party who doesn't seem to understand the economy and who has spoken in the past about "dismantling capitalism."  

In a private Zoom meeting with Austin Sierra Club activists, James talarico says capitalism is an oppressive system he wants to dismantle: "I'm ... thankful that young activists have really drawn the link between climate change and white supremacy and capitalism in our country. "And I think only understanding the ways that all three of those oppressive systems work together are we going to be able to begin the process of dismantling them." #TXsen

— Lone Star Liberty PAC (@LoneStar_PAC) September 1, 2026

Obviously, it was a clear choice for the Chamber of Commerce. 

Editor’s Note: The 2026 Midterms will determine the fate of President Trump’s America First agenda. Republicans must maintain control of both chambers of Congress.

Help RedState continue to report on the Democrats’ radicalism and inform voters as our nation faces a crossroads. Join RedState VIP and use promo code FIGHT to receive 60% off your membership.