Texas, DC Republicans Rally Around Paxton to Battle Talarico
After his Tuesday night shellacking of incumbent Republican Sen. John Cornyn in Texas’ Senate primary runoff, Lone Star State Attorney General Ken Paxton is gathering some of the support he’ll need to battle Democrat state Rep. James Talarico.
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With President Donald Trump’s endorsement behind him, Paxton defeated Cornyn by more than 30 points.
Republicans, including those who have had differences with Paxton in the past, fell in line behind the nominee.
Cornyn, for one, indicated he would support Paxton in the general election after months of running vicious campaign ads that hammered Paxton with accusations of corruption and marital infidelity.
Paxton was impeached by the Texas state House in 2023 on corruption charges before being acquitted by the state Senate. His wife, Angela Paxton, filed for divorce during the campaign on what she called “biblical grounds.”
“I’ve always supported the Republican ticket, and I intend to do so again in this general election,” Cornyn said. “I’ve said throughout this race that I trust the voters of Texas, and they’ve made their decision and I must respect it.”
Texas’ Republican Speaker of the House Dustin Burrows also backed Paxton after the results came in, calling him “a steadfast conservative fighter for Texas.” Burrows voted to impeach Paxton in 2023.
“With so much at stake for our state and our country, Republicans are united and ready for the fight ahead. Looking forward to supporting Ken Paxton as we work to protect the values and freedoms that make Texas exceptional,” Burrows wrote.
Paxton did not attack his past Republican foes in his victory speech.
Signs of support from Washington, D.C., Republicans came in as well.
On Tuesday, Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., who backed Cornyn in the primary, said on the Hugh Hewitt Show that Republicans must rally behind Paxton.
“Republican voters in Texas spoke last night,” he said. “Ken Paxton’s our nominee heading into November, and we’ve got to pivot and go all in to make sure that we keep Texas red, that he wins, and that we keep a far left liberal out of the United States Senate.”
Sen. Bernie Moreno, R-Ohio, an ally of Senate leadership and a big fundraiser, endorsed Paxton after the runoff.
“The voters have spoken. Now Republicans must unite and win,” the Ohio Republican declared.
“Beto 2.0, James Talarico, is a far-left freak who supports open borders, trans ideology, and even called the American flag a ‘complicated symbol,’” Moreno wrote. “Make no mistake: Ken Paxton will beat him in November and crush the dreams of the out-of-state billionaires propping up his campaign.”
Moreno, like Paxton, is holding Talarico to account for past statements Republicans believe are at odds with the conservative mindset of Texas voters.
Paxton has used several nicknames for the state legislator, including “six-gender Jimmy” and “James Tala-Freako.”
In one anti-Talarico clip already shown by the Trump-aligned Club for Growth, Talarico says it is “existential that we try to reduce our meat consumption.”
In his victory speech Tuesday, Paxton slammed Talarico for his alleged veganism, saying, “He’s a threat to our very way of life and our values. I mean, he’s a vegan who thinks God is nonbinary and that there’s actually six biological sexes. It’s hard to imagine someone more radical than that.”
In response to the attacks, Talarico spokesman JT Ennis told The Daily Signal, “James is a law-and-order Democrat who has a proven track record voting to send billions of dollars to support law enforcement. He supports border security and has criticized both parties for grandstanding on the issue of immigration—it’s why he’s authored legislation to modernize our ports of entry and called for more border patrol agents.”
Ennis added, “As costs continue to rise and corruption in Washington runs rampant, James is focused on taking power back for working people and bringing down the price of gas, groceries, and health care.”
Talarico has pushed back on Republican attacks, saying in a recent CBS interview, “There are statements that I’ve made where I’ve missed the mark. I’ll be the first to admit that. But Ken Paxton is intentionally clipping my cringey comments to distract from his career of corruption.”
The National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC), which backed Cornyn in the primary, also on Wednesday removed its press releases that attacked Paxton.
The NRSC’s post-runoff statement did not mention Paxton or Cornyn but instead declared that a “state that elected President Trump isn’t going to elect James Talarico—a radical leftist who thinks God is nonbinary.”
Paxton may need some Washington, D.C., money in his fight with Talarico, who hauled in $27 million in the first three months of 2026 and claimed to have raised $600,000 in the two hours following Paxton’s runoff victory.
He will likely be able to count on the support of the Republican Party’s most powerful fundraiser, President Donald Trump. “I will do some nice, big, beautiful rallies for Ken,” Trump wrote on Truth Social on Wednesday. “Texas, this will be FUN!”
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I am just an average American. My teen years were in the late 70s and I participated in all that that decade offered. Started working young, too young. Then I joined the Army before I graduated High School. I spent 25 years in, mostly in Infantry units. Since then I've worked in information technology positions all at small family owned companies. At this rate I'll never be a tech millionaire. When I was young I rode horses as much as I could. I do believe I should have been a cowboy. I'm getting in the saddle again by taking riding lessons and see where it goes.
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