Democrat James Talarico launched his first negative television spot against Republican Ken Paxton, combining claims about Paxton’s impeachment and finances and airing during a high-profile college football game as part of a large statewide buy.
Talarico rolled out a 30-second TV ad titled “Most Corrupt” that labels Ken Paxton “the most corrupt politician in Texas” and cites Paxton’s impeachment and real estate holdings.
Talarico is also seeking release of depositions tied to Paxton-related litigation to keep attention on Paxton’s past legal controversies.
# What happened State Rep. James Talarico released his first negative television ad of the U.S. Senate race against Attorney General Ken Paxton. The 30-second spot, titled "Most Corrupt," accuses Paxton of corruption and highlights the 2023 impeachment by the Texas House and Paxton's growing real estate holdings while in office.
# Where and when the ad will run The campaign said the ad will air for the first time Saturday during Texas Christian University's opening football game against the University of North Carolina. The initial placement is part of an existing eight-figure statewide ad buy.
# What the ad says and shows The ad features footage of Talarico on the stump and a direct line: "Ken Paxton is the most corrupt politician in Texas." It points to Paxton's impeachment and his large real estate portfolio as the basis for that charge.
# Campaign spending and strategy Talarico's campaign has already put substantial money into television: nearly $29 million on ads before this week, with almost all of those buys used for positive, biographical spots introducing him as a former teacher and framing his personal story. This television ad marks the campaign's first major paid attack on Paxton on broadcast television.
Paxton, by contrast, has spent very little on general election advertising so far. Instead, allied Republican groups have recently run television ads criticizing Talarico's record, including his vote on a bill restricting the sale of Texas land to entities connected to China.
Paxton senior advisor Nick Maddux issued a statement criticizing Talarico's record and calling the ad a distraction. Maddux claimed Talarico's actions were "a desperate attempt to hide his own far-left record," listing positions the campaign attributed to Talarico in the statement.
# Legal and historical context
# How this compares to past campaigns The move to air a negative television ad early in the cycle is not unprecedented. The article notes that in 2024, Democrat Colin Allred aired an early ad attacking Sen. Ted Cruz before the primary. By contrast, Beto O'Rourke did not run negative TV ads until mid-October of his 2018 cycle.
# What to watch next
The Democrat’s negative spot that alleges corruption by his GOP rival debuted Saturday during a TCU vs. North Carolina football game.
James Talarico, the Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate in Texas, wants to reveal depositions involving his Republican opponent, Ken Paxton.
Two ads will take the U.S. Senate candidate’s economic message to the Harlingen, Laredo and Corpus Christi areas.
Disgraced Texas Attorney General and Republican Senate candidate Ken Paxton denies the latest polling data, lies about Texans knowing James Talarico's true record, and thinks he'll win the election when he starts running TV ads. On Fox News' The Sunday Briefing , host Jackie Heinrich asked Paxton about his upcoming ele
Democrat James Talarico has leaned into Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s past legal scandals to try to win over moderate Republicans.
James Talarico, the Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate in Texas, wants to reveal depositions involving Ken Paxton, his Republican opponent, as part of an ongoing effort to keep the focus on Paxton’s history of scandals. The depositions involve a civil case where Unity Resources, a mineral assets company, was accused
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