Democratic U.S. Senate candidate James Talarico is taking aim at his General Election opponent over one of his many scandals.
During the last night of his “People vs. Ken Paxton” tour in Plano, 4,000 attendees rose to their feet as Talarico slammed Paxton over his indictment for investment fraud — the indictment was issued in Collin County, Texas, the very county Talarico was speaking in.
“Ken Paxton’s mugshot was taken just a few miles from here — at the Collin County courthouse — where he was indicted for investment fraud,” Talarico said during the rally. “He convinced his own friends to invest hundreds of thousands of dollars into a tech company. But what he didn’t tell them is that he was making a commission off their investments. He was scamming his own friends.”
State Rep. James Talarico, D-Austin, waits his turn to speak during a campaign rally at El Paso’s Firefighters Hall on Wednesday, Oct. 29, 2025. Talarico is vying to replace U.S. Sen. John Cornyn, R-TX, in the November 2026 General Election.
Paxton’s past scandals — from a high-profile divorce for infidelity to being impeached by the Republican-controlled Texas House of Representatives — have been a central part of Talarico’s campaign since Paxton won the May 26 runoff. Meanwhile, Paxton’s only real salvo has been a false assertion that Talarico is a vegan.
“If Ken Paxton will sell out his own friends for a quick buck, what makes you think he won’t sell you out in the United States Senate?” Talarico mused. “Listen, Ken Paxton has escaped accountability. But accountability is coming on Nov. 3. Ken Paxton is everything that’s wrong with this broken system. He does not serve us. He serves himself.”
Talarico noted that Paxton’s net worth has increased 7,000% during his time in office, while the salaries of average Texans have remained largely stagnant.
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“He takes bribes from wealthy donors, while blocking overtime pay for Texas workers and gutting our healthcare,” he said. ” This kind of corruption is the rot at the core of this broken system. It’s why we can’t get ahead no matter how hard we work. It’s why we can’t afford anything.”
Talarico will face Paxton in the Nov. 3 General Election, where recent polling shows him with a good chance of turning Texas’ U.S. Senate seat blue for the first time since 1993.
Adam Powell covers government and politics for the El Paso Times and can be reached via email at apowell@elpasotimes.com.
This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: James Talarico slams Ken Paxton over fraud claims