'This Is the Way': Paxton Takes the Bull by the Horns, Wrecks Talarico Over ‘Racism’ Question

We are now less than two months away from Election Day for the 2026 midterms, and the ads and mailers are flying left and right, and the campaign events are ramping up with control of the House and Senate on the line.

In the Texas Senate race, we've seen some whining from Democrat nominee James Talarico over the alleged FCC "banning" of a recent interview he did with late-night talk show host Jimmy Kimmel. The problem with that claim, though, is that it was "ABC's decision not to run it on the regular show because they didn't want to deal with the equal time rule," as RedState's Nick Arama previously reported.

Then there was the whopper Talarico told Kimmel about how "all his money comes from hard-working Texans." That is definitely not true, though, which is something Talarico himself proved by the very trip he was on that week to California for a Hollywood fundraiser alongside Sen. Jon Ossoff (D-GA). Last I checked, Hollywood was not Texas.

Closer to home, though, Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) is still on a bit of a revenge tour since Trump-backed Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton defeated him for the GOP Senate nomination. This is something many saw in his response to a tweet posted by Texas Railroad Commission nominee Bo French (R) that included a photo of a section of South Asian students at a Texas Longhorns football game, along with the following statement: "I heard UT graduation this year looked like this. I didn’t believe it. The problem is now obviously far worse than anyone imagined."

Cornyn responded by demanding other Republican elected officials "condemn the intolerance and racism," with the implication clear that he was putting Paxton on blast:

This is the Republican nominee for statewide office. Are other Republican elected officials going to condemn the intolerance and racism, or look the other way while it becomes normalized. This is how great political parties self-destruct. Sad. https://t.co/TO1dTXKd6G

— Senator John Cornyn (@JohnCornyn) September 13, 2026

Talarico, in turn, pounced and seized on Cornyn's comments, thanking him for his purported "leadership" and then suggesting that a lack of reaction from Paxton would show that he was a coward:

Thank you @JohnCornyn for your leadership.

Racism has no place in Texas.@KenPaxtonTX: will you condemn this blatant racism or will you cower to extremists? https://t.co/MWHEvrPdPV

— James Talarico (@jamestalarico) September 13, 2026

What followed on X was one of the most epic responses so far in this race by Paxton, with the attorney general turning the tables on Talarico in short order while reminding Lone Star State voters of what Talarico has said in the past about his own race:

I condemn racism in all its forms, including James Talarico saying white men are America's top terror threat and that he prays to overcome his own 'whiteness,' whatever that means. Only one person in this race has a history of dividing Texans by race, and it’s James Talarico. I will continue to focus on uniting our State and bringing together the broadest possible coalition to fight for Texas, our values, and our families.

"This is the way," the Young Republicans of Texas observed, one of many notes of praise on X for how Paxton handled it.

I mean, y'all, the receipts don't lie. Here's a short compilation with several examples:

ICYMI

Here is a small sampling of James Talarico psychotic statements.

There is no way anyone can convince me Texans will vote for this freak over Paxton. pic.twitter.com/3FaHC5LAvq

— Spitfire (@RealSpitfire) May 19, 2026

And there's plenty more where that came from. Yikes.

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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