Talarico, Paxton want to cut federal gas taxes as they court Hispanic voters in Texas Senate race

Republican Senate candidate Ken Paxton said Monday that he could support a federal work authorization program on two conditions. 

"Fundamentally, we've got to make sure, as you said, that we secure the border first, and if it gets unsecured, then the rest of the deal is off," Paxton said. "Look, we should have an America First policy here. We need to have a policy that benefits the Americans that are here. That likely means we have to let people in who can fulfill some of these jobs we don't have enough people for."

Paxton says he supports permanently repealing the federal gas tax 

Paxton made his comments in Fort Worth during a conversation with Javier Palomarez, the president and CEO of the United States Hispanic Business Council, which represents about 4.5 million Hispanic-owned businesses nationwide. 

Amid the high prices at the pump, Paxton said he supports permanently repealing the federal gas tax. 

"I know people need money in their pockets," he said. "I think gas prices are high. Let's give them the opportunity to, at least for the time being, to have a better deal."

Talarico proposes suspending federal gas, diesel tax

He announced his policy on Saturday, hours after Democratic Senate candidate James Talarico held a news conference at a gas station in Carrollton, where he challenged Paxton to suspend the federal tax on gas and diesel. 

Talarico said, "I'm proposing that we suspend the federal gas tax, which would drop the price of gas by 18 cents immediately, providing Texans with some much-needed relief. I'm also proposing suspending the federal diesel tax, which will save those who use diesel $170 a year." 

Talarico is set to take part in a conversation with the United States Hispanic Business Council on Wednesday in South Texas.

Paxton also defended how the Texas Attorney General's Office handled a highly publicized case in Waco that made national headlines. It involved Adam Hoffman, who went to trial on charges of sexually abusing a young boy. 

After there was a hung jury, Paxton said the victim didn't want to testify again. Hoffman was offered a plea deal initially to spend one day in jail. The Texas Tribune reported that the visiting judge in the case wanted a 60-day jail sentence. 

"We wanted to retry it and decided, you know what, we need to protect this kid," Paxton said. "It's more important to make sure this kid is protected than to get the verdict we actually want. This kid's already gone through the process once and saw how it turned out. I don't blame the kid for not wanting to do it again." 

Talarico has blasted Paxton on the campaign trail and in TV ads for the way he and his office handled the case.

Early voting in Texas begins in 3 weeks

When asked about his message to undecided voters, Paxton accused Talarico of changing his positions for the general election. 

"If positions are a 180-degree turn right after the primary, those are not real positions," said Talarico. "That's rhetoric. Look at the actual votes. Do you want a guy who voted for boys in girls' sports? Do you want a guy who voted to transition your kids?"

Polls show Talarico has a big lead over Paxton among Hispanic voters. 

During his news conference on Saturday, CBS News Texas asked Talarico what his message is to Hispanics who voted for President Trump in 2024. 

"This movement is bigger than any one politician," Talarico said. "It's bigger than me. It's bigger than Paxton. It's bigger than President Trump," Talarico replied. "None of us can afford gas or diesel. None of us can afford groceries. None of us can afford healthcare. The only way that's going to change is if we unite together to take on this broken system Paxton represents."

On Monday, Talarico announced he will take part in a live town hall during primetime in Fort Worth on Oct. 14, hosted by CNN and Jubilee Media. CNN said it has also invited Paxton for a town hall. It comes as Paxton has not agreed to debate Talarico. Last week, Talarico challenged Paxton to a debate on Fox News, but the campaign said Monday there is no update and that Paxton "has declined or ignored all invitations to debate." 

Talarico remains ahead of Paxton in the Real Clear Politics average of polls by 2.9 percentage points, 47.6-44.7 percent. The race is considered a toss-up by various organizations that rate political contests across the country. 

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