During a recent interview on NBC News, Republican Sen. John Kennedy from Louisiana hesitated to affirm whether Texas’s Senate nominee had the “character to serve.” The question came from Kristen Welker while co-hosting “Meet the Press,” where she discussed the highly contested and costly Senate race between Republican Attorney General Ken Paxton and Democratic State Rep. James Talarico.
Welker pressed Kennedy on Paxton’s suitability for the role of U.S. senator, given the allegations of corruption that led to his impeachment and subsequent acquittal, as well as a publicly acknowledged extramarital affair. Kennedy responded with a vague answer, saying, “That’s the decision of the people of Texas. I don’t know Ken Paxton. I don’t know Mr. Talarico.”
When pressed further about his confidence in Paxton’s character, Kennedy stated, “As best I can tell, the race is an unpopularity contest.” He believed that Paxton might ultimately secure the victory due to Texas’s Republican lean, but still warned that the outcome would be very close.
A late September poll conducted by the New York Times/Siena indicated that Talarico was slightly leading Paxton, with 51 percent to 46 percent, despite Texas voting for Trump by a significant margin in the 2024 election. The Cook Political Report even classifies the race as a toss-up.
Paxton previously won a primary runoff against long-serving Sen. John Cornyn with a substantial margin, while Talarico defeated prominent Democratic Rep. Jasmine Crockett in a heated primary.
In July, Paxton’s wife Angela, a Republican state senator, filed for divorce citing “biblical grounds.” Interestingly, she later appeared in a campaign ad promoting the Republican ticket, albeit without mentioning Paxton directly.
On the other hand, Talarico has faced scrutiny for his past statements concerning progressive views. One notable instance occurred in 2021 when he claimed “God is non-binary” during a legislative speech opposing a Republican bill on girls’ sports. Additionally, in a podcast from 2023, he expressed his love for “trans children.” However, during his Senate campaign, he seemed to distance himself from these earlier comments, publicly opposing child sex changes in June.
Paxton, for his part, has made it a point to highlight the differences between his views and Talarico’s, labeling his opponent’s past positions as “weird” during an interview.
Paxton commented on Talarico’s views, stating, “I think if you look at the scripture it’s pretty clear God is not ‘nonbinary.’ He is expressed in three forms in the trinity, and not as James Talarico is suggesting,” during a discussion with a reporter.
