Texas Democrats want voters to know Attorney General Ken Paxton will stump in Cypress on Monday — not on a similar-sounding island country in the Mediterranean Sea.
Houston’s suburb entered the viral spotlight of the U.S. Senate race over the weekend after Paxton misspelled Cypress as the European country of Cyprus, drawing ridicule from Texas Democrats. The typo came in a Saturday social media post about Paxton’s upcoming appearance with Republican Sen. Ted Cruz in Cypress as the race against Democratic State Rep. James Talarico heads into its final weeks.
“Next stop: Cyprus with the great @TedCruz,” a screenshot of the original post reads. “We will keep Texas, Texas.”
Paxton is scheduled to appear with Cruz in the “Texas on the Frontline Rally” at the Glorious Way Church at 2:30 p.m., according to his campaign. The church is in northwest Houston.
“It’s Cypress, not ‘Cyprus,'” Talarico’s campaign wrote on X. “But for all the time you spend on luxury vacations in Europe, it’s no surprise you don’t know Texas.”
Paxton has since deleted his post on X, and a post on Facebook spells Cypress correctly. Talarico’s post had garnered nearly 1 million views as of 4:30 p.m.
In a statement to the Houston Chronicle, Paxton’s campaign spokesperson Madison Cercy said Democrats were focusing on “petty distractions and typos” while Paxton works to improve the economy and lower costs. She said he has traveled across the state “to meet with voters in every community” and plans to pack the Houston church on Monday.
“Cypress is a vital part of our state, and Ken Paxton is excited to discuss his vision for the future of Texas with the hardworking people who live there,” Cercy said.
The attorney general has received an outpouring of campaign donations since President Donald Trump said he would head to Texas to support Paxton in the Senate race. Over $100 million has funded mostly negative ads against Talarico during that time. Trump again urged Texans to vote for Paxton while dragging Talarico in a video he posted from the White House’s Oval Office on Friday.
The attorney general has received new campaign donations since President Donald Trump renewed his support for Paxton in the Senate race. More than $100 million in largely negative advertising against Talarico has come primarily from GOP-aligned outside groups during that period. Trump again urged Texans to vote for Paxton while dragging Talarico in a video he posted on Friday, filmed in the White House’s Oval Office.
“Ken’s one of the best state attorney generals in the entire country,” Trump said in the video. “He has been for the last many years, and frankly he’s going to go down as one of the best ever. And frankly he doesn’t get enough credit for it.”
Paxton’s typo, meanwhile, climbed the Democratic ranks in Texas. U.S. Rep. Christian Menefee joined the criticism, suggesting that education was at risk. Kendall Scudder, the chair of the Texas Democratic Party, leaned into Paxton’s global travel.
“You would know it’s Cypress if you spent any time here, instead of gallivanting on luxury vacations overseas,” Scudder wrote in a statement. “Texans are sick of corrupt politicians who can’t even spell the names of the communities they seek to represent, and it’s exactly why they will be kicking Paxton to the curb in November.”