Paxton, Talarico clash early in high‑stakes Texas U.S. Senate race
The vote count wasn't even finished Tuesday night when Republican Ken Paxton and Democrat James Talarico began trading attacks in the race for Texas' U.S. Senate seat.
Paxton, the state's attorney general, quickly criticized Talarico after securing the GOP nomination.
"My opponent is the most extreme radical the Democrats have ever nominated," Paxton said.
Talarico responded during an interview on Wednesday.
"The most corrupt politician in America just became the Republican nominee for the United States Senate right here in Texas," he said.
Campaigns launch new digital ads
Both campaigns released new digital ads following the primary. Talarico's ad features news clips recalling Paxton's impeachment by the Republican‑controlled Texas House three years ago. Paxton was later acquitted of all articles in the Senate trial.
One clip in the ad notes, "A majority of Texas House Republicans voted to impeach one of their own."
Paxton's ad highlights several of Talarico's past statements that have drawn criticism, including comments about biological sex and meat consumption.
Talarico addresses past remarks
Talarico acknowledged those comments, calling them poorly phrased.
"I'll be the first to admit that I missed the mark on some of those old statements, but what Ken Paxton is doing is clipping my old, cringey comments to distract from his career of corruption," he said.
When asked whether he disavows the remarks, Talarico said many people regret how they expressed things in the past.
"I think we all can look back and be embarrassed by how we said things in the past, and I'm certainly not exempt from that."
Cost of living emerges as key issue
Both candidates say they plan to focus on lowering everyday costs for Texans.
Paxton said he is running to help families afford homes, groceries, and health care.
"I'm running to lower your cost of living because you deserve to be able to buy a home, afford groceries, and have a high quality of health care without being forced to stay up at night worrying about how you're going to pay your monthly premium or pay off your debt," he said.
Talarico said he wants to reduce grocery prices by eliminating tariffs.
"I think we can immediately reduce the price of groceries by repealing these crazy tariffs that are driving up costs all over Texas, all over America," he said.
A costly race ahead
The Texas Senate race is already the most expensive in the country this cycle, and political experts expect spending to surge as both campaigns prepare to blanket the airwaves with ads.
CBS News Texas reached out to Paxton's campaign for an interview, but has not heard back.
