If we had a nickel for every time a Republican had beef with a drag queen, we would, weirdly enough, have quite a few nickels. Adding their name to the list this time is Texas’ very own Attorney General Ken Paxton.
The Republican who couldn’t seem to take a hint that he’s losing the Senate popularity contest decided his next best approach would be dragging the drag community into the fight as well.
In his latest attack against Democrat James Talarico, Paxton claims via X that his opponent is “too weird and too radical for Texas” because of a video in which he quickly names his favorite drag queen as Alyssa Edwards.
Democratic Senate candidate James Talarico smiles during a news conference at UTA, on Aug. 30, in Arlington, Texas. AP
“What normal person can name their favorite drag queen this quickly?” Paxton asked. “When James Talarico isn’t advocating for children to dress in drag, he’s watching drag performances and saying that Texas produces the best drag queens.”
Noticing the uproar over their name, Edwards penned her own response.
“As a Texan and a very proud one at that, I would hope that your focus would remain on policy, leadership and what you intend to provide for the future of ALL Texans,” she wrote in a letter posted to X.
Bringing Paxton’s attention to her own accomplishments and contributions to the Texas community, she wrote: “What began as a community recreation program at a YMCA grew into a place where generations of young people have been encouraged to discover their creativity, ignite their passion, develop discipline, and, perhaps most importantly, believe in themselves.”
This isn’t the first time Paxton or other Republicans have tried to attack Talarico on the basis that his support for the LGBTQ+ community is strange or less “manly.”
Earlier this month, Paxton put out an AI-generated ad of Talarico scribbling with crayon in a Bible while expressing his perspectives of feminism and gender identity.
While Paxton is throwing AI-generated accusations and turning comments into attacks, the formerly impeached candidate has plenty of his own skeletons to reckon with as well. In 2024, Paxton settled his felony security fraud charge to avoid a criminal trial.
But if it’s not Paxton coming for blood, other Republicans have tried to disparage Talarico over his alleged lack of manliness, calling the candidate just “weird.” They’ve even previously attempted to label Talarico as a vegan in an attempt to paint him as less manly.
But bringing drag queens into a fight as an example of something inappropriate or unholy is a reliable GOP stance. The GOP has previously leaned on drag queens to pull funding from public broadcast, while painting drag queen story hour as something perverse.
But as Edwards put it in her own letter, “the way we choose to speak about others often says far more about our own character than it ever will about theirs.”
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