Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton said on Friday his general election U.S. Senate campaign against Democrat James Talarico will focus on exposing what he called a record of dishonesty and political reinvention through the candidate’s own words.
Appearing on “Finnerty,” the Republican nominee stated his campaign has already begun defining Talarico for voters following Tuesday’s primary runoff victory.
“We’re already getting our message out. And we’re using, as you can see, his words — which is kind of interesting because now he’s backing off,” Paxton said. “He used those exact words when he was running in the Democratic primary. Now, he’s claiming that I’m clipping him or picking his cringey moments.”
Paxton defended the clips as fair game since they reflect Talarico’s actual beliefs. “The reality is, these are his actual words,” he added. “These are the views he actually holds — which he’s trying to hide now that he has a general election, and he realizes Texans probably won’t like what he believes.”
Paxton noted Texas media outlets will likely support Talarico in the general election, comparing it to past coverage of Sen. Ted Cruz and Democrat Beto O’Rourke. “I have no doubt that the local media will try to prop him up,” he said. “They always push the Democrat — and that’s just what we have to deal with, not just in Texas but all over the country.”
The attorney general also referenced a 2022 Talarico ad where the candidate described his campaign as a “nonmeat campaign” by purchasing only vegan products from local businesses. Host Rob Finnerty contrasted this with a recent image of Talarico wearing a Texas flag-style shirt and eating meat.
Paxton said the contrast shows Talarico is trying to mislead voters. “Yeah, he is definitely lying,” Paxton stated. “He’s no doubt changed many of his views, claiming they weren’t representative based on what he actually said.”
Paxton argued that voters should judge Talarico by past public statements rather than a general election makeover. “The truth is we have to go off of what he’s already said to know what he actually believes,” Paxton said. “This idea that he can change his views for the general election — we’re not going to let him get away with it, because we believe the views he expressed are the views he actually holds.”
Paxton also mentioned his campaign might draw inspiration from reality television personality Spencer Pratt’s Los Angeles mayoral campaign, particularly Pratt’s use of artificial intelligence-generated ads. When asked whether he would consider using AI ads to reach younger voters and highlight Talarico’s positions, Paxton responded: “You know what? I see no reason not to.”
Regarding Pratt, Paxton added: “This guy has done a really excellent job of highlighting the craziness of the current mayor in LA and the problems she’s created. And so, yeah, I don’t see any reason why we wouldn’t do the same thing.”
