State Rep. James Talarico, the Democratic nominee for Senate, at a rally Sunday in Plano.
Smiley N. Pool/The Dallas Morning News
PLANO – A high school football team facing a powerhouse opponent. David taking on Goliath. Ordinary Texans standing up to billionaires.
Democratic Senate candidate James Talarico drew on those underdog comparisons Sunday to fire up supporters in the final two weeks of his high-stakes race against Republican Ken Paxton.
“We are the underdogs in this race,” Talarico said at a Sunday evening rally in Plano. “This election is a battle between the powers that be and the powers that ought to be.”
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The candidates are in the final stretch of a campaign that could help determine the balance of power in Washington. Polls show the race is too close to call – a rarity in Texas, where no Democrat has won a U.S. Senate seat since 1988.
Early voting begins Monday and runs through Oct. 30. Both candidates have get-out-the-vote rallies planned Monday in North Texas.
For much of his speech, Talarico delivered blistering attacks on Paxton, telling suburban voters the attorney general was the “embodiment of a corrupt system” that has driven up the cost of gas, healthcare, insurance and other essentials.
Sign-carrying supporters a rally Sunday for Democratic state Rep. James Talarico, running for the Senate.
Smiley N. Pool/The Dallas Morning News
He recalled Paxton’s 2023 impeachment by the Republican-led Texas House on allegations of corruption and abuse of office, including accusations that he used his position to benefit a political donor. He was acquitted after a Senate trial.
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Talarico also said Paxton’s net worth has increased dramatically since he entered public office and that Paxton owns 15 homes.
“It’s hard enough to get 15 homes in a game of Monopoly,” Talarico said.
Talarico, a state representative from Austin, contrasted his political career and Paxton’s legal troubles.
“I have a legislative record. Ken Paxton has a criminal record,” he said. “That’s the choice in this election.”
Paxton was indicted on felony securities fraud charges in 2015, accused of misleading investors in a technology company. He denied wrongdoing and reached an agreement with prosecutors in 2024 to pay restitution, perform community service and complete ethics training. The charges were dismissed in 2025 without a conviction.
Attorney General Ken Paxton, the Republican Senate nominee, at his bus tour stop Saturday in Rockwall.
Shafkat Anowar/The Dallas Morning News
Saturday in Rockwall, Paxton portrayed the election as a fight against far-left extremists, while his campaign has accused Talarico of being beholden to national Democrats and wealthy Silicon Valley donors rather than Texas voters.
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Talarico calls the campaign’s final two weeks “Clear Eyes, Full Hearts,” a reference to the television series “Friday Night Lights,” about a Texas high school football team. The phrase comes from a coach’s locker room speech in which he stresses character as much as athletic ability.
Talarico also emphasized the divide between ordinary Texans and wealthy political donors. He singled out Elon Musk, who contributed at least $158 million to a Republican super PAC which then directed that amount to another group backing Paxton.
“We’re going to send a clear message to the world’s first trillionaire,” Talarico said. “Texas is not for sale.”
State Rep. James Talarico at his rally Sunday in Plano.
Smiley N. Pool/The Dallas Morning News
Talarico has sought to appeal to independents and Republicans dissatisfied with Paxton and the direction of their party.
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“This election shouldn’t be about the Democratic Party or the Republican Party,” he said. “This election should be about chasing a vision of what our state can be.”
He told the crowd of several hundred at Red Tail Pavilion that the race would be tough but that his supporters would prevail.
“There’s that moment in every game, the last play of the last drive, when you have to leave it all on the line,” Talarico said. “Plano, we are in that moment. In the final days of this election, they are coming at us with everything they’ve got.”