Talarico Casts Senate Race as Anticorruption Fight, Aiming at Paxton and Elon Musk
At a University of Houston event, the Democratic state representative used one of his last Houston-area stops before the Nov. 3 election to accuse Republican Ken Paxton of corruption and to attack Musk's financial backing of him.
By Kendra Konchanuk · · Originally reported by Houston Public Media
Democratic state Rep. James Talarico made one of his final campaign stops in the Houston area on Wednesday, using an appearance at the University of Houston to cast the U.S. Senate race as a struggle against corruption. He directed much of his criticism at billionaire Elon Musk, who has bankrolled his Republican opponent, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton.
Speaking to a crowd at the UH Hilton on the university's main campus, Talarico focused on Paxton's record. "Ken Paxton was impeached by his own party, by his fellow Republicans for using his public office — his position of public trust — to enrich himself and his donors at the expense of the people of Texas," he said. "He doesn't serve us. He serves himself."
Paxton's campaign has been shadowed by several scandals. He was previously indicted on felony securities fraud charges and was impeached in 2023 on charges of abuse of office, though the Texas Senate ultimately acquitted him.
Talarico promised to pursue a package of anticorruption measures if elected. He said he would back legislation to ban corporate political action committees and super PACs, prohibit members of Congress from trading stocks, outlaw partisan gerrymandering by state governments and impose congressional term limits. As a first-term senator, however, he would likely have limited power to advance any of them.
On Musk, Talarico pointed to nearly $190 million in contributions that Paxton has received from the tech billionaire through the Senate Leadership Fund, a super PAC tied to Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D. "If you've seen an attack ad on your screen, that was Elon," Talarico said, adding that the same went for mailers and text messages criticizing him. He accused Musk of wanting Texas land, water and taxpayer dollars, and of seeking "his very own personal United States Senator." He closed with a message for the "world's first trillionaire": "Texas is not for sale."
The event came just hours after Neil Bush, brother of former Republican President George W. Bush, announced his support for and vote for Talarico. In a Facebook post, Bush said his decision was driven by "deep concern about Ken Paxton's record and genuine admiration for the character and principles I see in James Talarico." He said he had voted against a style of politics he believes has damaged the country.
The Bush family did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Barbara Bush, the former president's daughter, previously donated $2,500 to Lone Star Rising PAC, the main political action committee backing Talarico's campaign.
Paxton campaigned in the Houston area on Tuesday, with stops in Conroe and Sugar Land. He warned his Conroe audience about the stakes of the contest. "This race could very well determine who controls the US Senate for the next two or more years," he said. "I'm not exaggerating when I say if we lose Texas, we lose America."
Most polling in the race shows Talarico and Paxton in a statistical dead heat as the Nov. 3 election approaches.
