Though I find it pretty amusing that there are various "political experts" out there among the Commentariat™ who are now suggesting that the seat currently held by the departing Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) might be flippable, I'm not yet ready to declare any race a "sure thing" one way or the other, considering the current political climate, where things you once thought would never happen have actually happened.
It's hard not to, though, when one considers the goldmine of material Texas Democrat Senate nominee James Talarico has put out there over the years for Trump-backed Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, the newly minted GOP Senate nominee, to exploit.
RedState has extensively reported on it, with my colleague Jennifer Oliver O'Connell pointing to the Texas state representative's bizarre claims about how "God is non-binary, whiteness and masculinity are problems to be reckoned with, there are at least six genders," and "the American flag is a problematic symbol" being among the more notable.
READ MORE: James Talarico Hoisted by His Own Words in New PAC Ad Supporting Ken Paxton
With the general election campaign season now officially underway, Talarico is trying to run away from his past, admittedly "cringey comments," as RedState previously reported. He's proclaiming that "There are some statements that I've made that I certainly regret," but has alleged that Paxton “is intentionally clipping" things he's said, implying in the process that he was being taken out of context in some instances.
Anyone in Paxton's shoes would be "intentionally clipping" Talarico's past statements, too, because, as noted earlier, there is a treasure trove to use against him that is almost never-ending.
Paxton and his campaign team are, of course, well aware of this, which is why they've come out of his decisive Tuesday primary runoff victory against Cornyn swinging against Talarico, giving a mere preview of what's to come. "This is Texas. This is not" they repeat throughout, while showing what makes Texas great (its hard-working people) and what doesn't (Talarico):
NEW AD: James Talarico is a threat to everything we hold dear.
— Attorney General Ken Paxton (@KenPaxtonTX) May 27, 2026
This is Texas, and we will fight to protect it. pic.twitter.com/7bI9jti6Gz
While it's a tried and true campaign tactic to paint your opponent as an out-of-touch radical, Talarico makes it way too easy, and you can expect Paxton to lean into the "radical" label hard because, well, it's true.
In response to this, for example:
At James Talarico's church, where he said in a sermon that the "trans community" needs "abortion care," they're pushing trans books on kids
— Brent Scher (@BrentScher) May 27, 2026
Among the books in the church library is “This Book Is Gay,” which lays out the “ins and outs of gay sex" for kidshttps://t.co/CWPLsngCtx
Paxton responded with this:
James Talarico is too radical for California, let alone Texas. https://t.co/PpY75cOEla
— Attorney General Ken Paxton (@KenPaxtonTX) May 27, 2026
That's going to leave a mark in a red state like Texas. I can't wait to see what's next.
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.
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