James Talarico says 'corrupt' Ken Paxton 'should be nowhere near U.S. Senate'

The electoral battle for the U.S. Senate race in Texas between the Democrat James Talarico and the Republican Ken Paxton, the Texas Attorney General, is heating up. On Wednesday, Talarico said during a rally that Paxton was one of the most corrupt politicians in the country and that he should not be anywhere near the Senate. He pointed out that the Republican candidate was impeached as Texas Attorney General in 2023 for reportedly using his public office to enrich himself and his donors.

"Three years ago, this week, Ken Paxton was impeached by his own party for using his public office...to enrich himself and his donors at the expense of the people of Texas," Talarico told his supporters. "Ken Paxton is everything that's wrong with politics. He doesn't serve us. He serves himself and his billionaire donors. Since taking office, Ken Paxton's net worth has increased 7,000% while our pay has remained stagnant."

The Democratic candidate also claimed that Paxton owned 11 homes at a time when Texans were struggling to afford even one. Talarico accused his political rival of blocking overtime pay while taking "bribes" from his donors. "This is the rot at the core of this broken system," Talarico said, adding, "It is why we cannot afford anything. It is why we cannot get ahead, no matter how hard we work." Paxton was impeached in 2023 and represented by attorney Dan Cogdell at the time.

The impeachment trials ended with Paxton's acquittal, but Cogdell has broken ranks with his former client and is backing Talarico in the Senate race. Paxton was impeached by the Texas House with a 121-23 vote over allegations of misuse of state resources to benefit a donor. His former aides also accused him of misconduct and reported him to federal authorities.

Speaking during an interview with Talarico, Cogdell claimed that Paxton had lost sight of his mission to work for the people of Texas and that his Democratic opponent for the midterms was a more trustworthy candidate. "I defended Ken Paxton for years in the impeachment trial and in state criminal cases," he said, "but in my view, respectfully, I think Ken has lost sight of his core mission, which is to represent the people of Texas. And unlike Ken, I believe in my core that you, James, believe in unity over division and that you know how to assemble not only Democrats but Independents and Republicans, and we need that right now."

Paxton, meanwhile, shared a clip of the interview on X in which Talarico had said that he had often questioned Democrats over their immigration policies and had even gotten into some hot water inside his own party as a result. "James Talarico managed to flip-flop on every position he has ever taken," the Texas Attorney General responded. "Talacreepo has proven he will lie time and time again because he knows his weird radical policies are too extreme for the people of Texas."