PLANO – A few miles from the courthouse where Ken Paxton faced securities fraud charges a decade ago, Democratic Senate contender James Talarico said Monday voters should deliver the accountability the attorney general has long avoided.
Talarico, at a rally at the Plano Event Center, repeatedly invoked Paxton’s legal and ethical controversies, calling his GOP rival the “most corrupt politician in America” and accusing him of putting personal gain ahead of Texans.
“Ken Paxton’s mugshot was taken just a few miles from here at the Collin County courthouse,” Talarico said as a huge crowd cheered and waved signs. “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?”
He was referring to Paxton’s 2015 securities fraud indictment. Prosecutors accused him of soliciting investors for a McKinney technology company without disclosing he was being paid to promote its stock. The felony charges were ultimately dismissed after Paxton agreed to pay about $270,000 in restitution and perform community service.
The stop in the county that launched Paxton’s political career was an early test of Talarico’s general-election strategy: winning over suburban voters and Republicans uneasy with Paxton.
“Ken Paxton has escaped accountability, but accountability is coming on Nov. 3” in the state’s general election, Talarico said.
The Paxton campaign has dismissed Talarico’s criticism and sought to portray the Democrat as a liberal out of step with Texas voters.
During his speech, Talarico also mentioned Republican attacks on his masculinity, saying “there’s been a lot of talk in this campaign about what it means to be a real man.”
He recalled how his adoptive father would mow a neighbor’s lawn without being asked, using the story to contrast serving others with exploiting them.
Real men “don’t lie and cheat their way through life. They don’t enrich themselves by stealing from other people. They don’t sell their soul to the highest bidder,” Talarico said. “Real men serve others. Weak men serve themselves.”
Talarico also mocked attacks from Paxton and President Donald Trump, who have questioned his faith and accused him of being a vegan.
“I’m an eighth-generation Texan,” Talarico said. “I’ve eaten barbecue since before Ken Paxton’s first indictment.”
He acknowledged that Paxton calls him “Talafreakco.” In a turnabout, the Democrat said his website is selling “I’m a Talifreako” T-shirts.
Talarico also outlined a series of reforms he said he would pursue in the Senate, including campaign finance changes, congressional term limits and an end to legislative gerrymandering.
He was joined at the rally by Gina Hinojosa, the Democratic nominee running against Gov. Greg Abbott.