Paxton Aims to Reveal Talarico's 'Weird' Side Amid Senate Campaign Rebranding Efforts

During a recent interview with the Daily Caller News Foundation at the Faith and Freedom Coalition’s Road to Majority Conference in Washington, D.C., Texas Attorney General and Republican U.S. Senate nominee Ken Paxton made clear his intention to spotlight what he sees as the unusual nature of his Democratic opponent’s past statements. Paxton said he wants Texas voters to understand James Talarico’s record on cultural issues rather than accept the moderate image the challenger is currently promoting through well-funded media appearances.

Paxton used a common local phrase from Austin when describing Talarico, calling the Democrat “weird” and noting that his positions fit that description. He pointed specifically to Talarico’s decision to travel to San Francisco for campaign fundraising, arguing that this choice reveals where the candidate’s real political base lies and that those views do not represent mainstream Texas values.

The Texas attorney general highlighted Talarico’s earlier embrace of progressive identity politics as a key example. This includes past comments suggesting there are six genders and public expressions of support for transgender children. Paxton presented these remarks as evidence of a consistent left-leaning approach that Talarico now appears to be distancing himself from.

One statement Paxton found particularly striking was Talarico’s 2021 claim during a Texas House floor speech that “God is nonbinary.” Talarico made the remark while opposing a bill that would have kept girls’ school sports limited to biological females and had labeled the legislation hateful. Paxton responded by pointing to Christian scripture, saying it clearly shows God is not nonbinary but is instead expressed through the three persons of the Trinity.

In recent months Talarico has worked to reposition himself as more centrist. He has publicly opposed medical procedures for minors experiencing gender dysphoria and has described himself as a “border security Democrat.” These messages have featured prominently in high-profile interviews on the Joe Rogan podcast and The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.

Paxton questioned how genuine this shift really is. He suggested that Talarico likely presents very different views when speaking at private fundraisers in strongly progressive areas such as Chicago and California’s Bay Area. According to Paxton, neither Talarico’s earlier public statements nor his legislative voting record align with the moderate persona he is now trying to project to Texas voters.

Talarico, a former middle school teacher who once studied at a Presbyterian seminary, has since acknowledged that his comment about God being nonbinary was “cringey.” He has attempted to dismiss such past remarks as distractions and has instead focused attention on Paxton’s 2023 impeachment by the Texas House. Paxton was ultimately acquitted on all charges in that proceeding.

Paxton noted that his own path to the general election has not been easy. His primary contest against longtime Republican Senator John Cornyn was bruising and left him with less time to raise money than Talarico has enjoyed. By Election Day, Paxton will have had only about five months as the nominee to build his war chest. Despite these challenges, he pointed to his long record of filing lawsuits on behalf of Texans against major pharmaceutical companies, large technology firms, and certain cities he accused of undermining immigration laws.

Talarico has raised significant sums, including roughly $11 million in a single month through the ActBlue platform. Paxton and his team expressed suspicion about the sources of that money, citing recent reports of internal problems at the organization and concerns over possible foreign donations flowing through it. Being outspent is not new territory for Paxton, who overcame roughly 15-to-1 spending disadvantages in his primary victory over Cornyn. That win received a major boost from an endorsement by President Donald Trump one week before the runoff. Paxton has described a close relationship with Trump, noting that the president called him first after his acquittal in the impeachment trial.

Paxton expressed confidence that his campaign can succeed in November even if fundraising totals remain uneven. He said the key is having enough resources to define Talarico using the Democrat’s own past words and record rather than through attacks crafted by the campaign itself. As long as voters hear Talarico’s earlier statements directly, Paxton believes the contrast with his own positions will lead to victory in the Texas Senate race.