James Talarico, the Democratic nominee for the Senate, is preparing for a new wave of Republican attacks as the Texas race shifts toward November.
John Moore/TNS
Spring break is over for James Talarico.
The Democratic Senate nominee spent months watching from the stands as Republicans John Cornyn and Ken Paxton tore into each other on the field, unloading millions in attacks over ethics, loyalty and character.
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Now the hits are coming his way as the race shifts to the next round, with no letup in a campaign likely to hinge as much on personality and perception as policy.
Even before Republicans rallied behind Paxton over Cornyn in Tuesday’s runoff, they already had begun road-testing lines aimed at portraying Talarico as too liberal and culturally out of step with Texans.
The rapid shift shows that both parties increasingly view the fall election not simply as another Senate contest, but also as a high-stakes clash over the country’s direction and Texas’ place in it.
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An easy GOP hold of the seat could help cement the party’s control of the Senate. A Democratic upset could scramble national assumptions, reshape Lone Star politics and elevate Talarico into one of the party’s superstars.
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Here’s what comes next:
Easy stretch ends
For months, Cornyn and Paxton have battered each other in a brutal and expensive Senate runoff.
Talarico spent the stretch trying to mend divisions left by his hotly contested primary with U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett of Dallas.
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At the same time, he’s been raising money and strengthening the campaign operation he’ll need to help Democrats secure their first statewide victory since 1994.
The campaign has already attracted high-profile Democrats, including former President Barack Obama, who joined Talarico for tacos in Austin.
Talarico’s resources give him a cushion, and he’s already planned a multi-city swing through Texas, generating attention immediately after the GOP runoff.
Defining Talarico early
Attorney General Ken Paxton and Sen. John Cornyn, bitter rivals in the GOP runoff for the Senate.
Elias Valverde II Jason Fochtman/The Dallas Morning News, Houston
Republicans are already branding Talarico as too liberal for Texas, hoping to shape voters’ first impressions before the fall campaign begins in earnest.
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President Donald Trump repeatedly has mocked Talarico as a “vegan,” a label the Democrat’s campaign rejects.
Cornyn has warned Talarico backs the “most woke agenda Texas has ever seen.”
Paxton has referred to the Democrat as “Tofu Talarico,” while a pro-Paxton super PAC is running ads calling Talarico “Low-T Talarico. Too weak for Texas.”
At a Cornyn rally in The Colony, state Rep. Jeff Leach of Allen called Talarico the “most liberal, progressive, dangerous Democrat we have ever seen in Texas.” At the same event, state Rep. Matt Shaheen of Prosper said Talarico is even “nuttier” than Republicans already claim.
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Trump sets the tone
Trump’s mocking of Talarico is not unexpected.
President Donald Trump speaks to reporters before he boards Air Force One on March 13, 2026, for a trip to Florida.
Mark Schiefelbein/AP
His late endorsement of Paxton shook up the Senate race, brushing aside concerns from some Republicans that Paxton, as the nominee, would put the critical Senate seat at risk.
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Part of Trump’s calculation appears rooted in the belief that Talarico is less formidable than he has been portrayed.
“The Democrats have a weird candidate,” Trump said earlier this month.
Seeking unity
After more than a year of Republican infighting over loyalty, scandal and electability, the runoff winner will face pressure to unify a fractured GOP coalition and redirect its energy toward Democrats.
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Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick and others have urged Republicans to put aside grudges and rally around the nominee.
That task becomes easier as Republicans cast Talarico as too far left for suburban moderates and independent voters already worn down by months of GOP warfare.
Democrats see an opening
Michael Sorrell, (left) president of Paul Quinn College, shakes hand with Democratic Senate nominee James Talarico after he delivered the college’s commencement address May 2 in Dallas.
Shafkat Anowar/The Dallas Morning News
Talarico and Texas Democrats are expected to answer by ripping the Republican nominee as being more focused on partisan wrangling than issues like affordability, schools and health care.
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Many Democrats viewed Paxton, with years of ethical controversies and legal and personal distractions trailing him, as the easier opponent. Still, throughout most of his campaign, Talarico argued that Cornyn had “sold out” Texans through his embrace of Trump and MAGA policies.
After Trump endorsed Paxton, Talarico said it didn’t matter who he faces. He said Cornyn and Paxton both represent “a broken politics that enriches wealthy donors while costs skyrocket for the rest of us.”
That message, that Republicans are out of touch with everyday economic pressures facing Texans, is expected to become central to his strategy moving forward.
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And he’ll have the money to sell it.
Talarico is poised to shatter fundraising records for a Texas Democrat as he bets voter frustration with Trump and the traditional midterm backlash can finally end Republicans’ 30-year statewide winning streak.