James Talarico calls Ken Paxton ‘most corrupt politician in America’ after Texas Senate primary win

WASHINGTON, DC: Texas Democratic Senate nominee James Talarico launched an attack against Ken Paxton minutes after the attorney general won the Republican runoff against John Cornyn.

Talarico immediately released a campaign ad calling Paxton "the most corrupt politician in America," signaling a direct general election fight over the Republican's controversial past.

The aggressive rollout shows how Democrats plan to focus on Paxton's extensive legal troubles during the upcoming general election campaign to flip the Texas Senate seat.

James Talarico brands Ken Paxton ‘most corrupt politician’

James Talarico did not hold back when the runoff results came in, immediately releasing a video with the tagline “The People vs Ken Paxton.” The ad connects Paxton's ethics to the financial struggles of regular people. "Something just happened in Texas," Talarico stated.

"The most corrupt politician in America just became the Republican nominee for the United States Senate. Three years ago, 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. That kind of corruption is the rot at the core of this broken system. It's why we can't afford anything. It's why we can't get ahead, no matter how hard we work."

Democrats target Ken Paxton impeachment in Senate race

Democrats are focusing on Paxton’s historic 2023 impeachment by his own Republican colleagues in the state legislature over corruption allegations to appeal to moderate independent voters.

Though the state Senate later acquitted him, his political baggage remained a central issue for Republicans during the primary.

By highlighting these scandals, Talarico is using economic populism to build a coalition against the nominee.

"For 50 years, megadonors and their puppet politicians, like Ken Paxton, have stolen from us, with their bribes, their bailouts, and their billionaire tax breaks," Talarico said.

"Ken Paxton has gotten away with it. They've all gotten away with it."

James Talarico frames Senate race around corruption claims

The lightning-fast ad release indicates that Democrats are moving quickly to frame the November election as a fight over government integrity.

Outside groups are also mobilizing to reinforce the narrative, with the leading pro-Talarico super PAC, Lone Star Rising PAC, releasing a statement expressing strong optimism about the matchup.

“Lone Star Rising PAC will make sure Texans know exactly what’s at stake,” the group said. 

Talarico made this aggressive, unified strategy clear in his final call to action: "But that ends this year. In this state, in this race. If we, the people, can come together to defeat the most corrupt politician in America, we can defeat this entire corrupt system. We can start unrigging this economy. We can start raising our pay, cutting our taxes, lowering our costs. We can finally get ahead. It's time to come together. The people versus Ken Paxton."