\n Paxton Blasts Talarico Over Defund Police Ties | Image by The Dallas Express, reporter Joe Edwards <\/p>\n
Attorney General Ken Paxton made his case for Senate on Tuesday in Fort Worth before a room full of reporters, flanked by a large group of sheriffs and law enforcement officers, noting that the race against Democratic state Rep. James Talarico is a clear choice between a candidate who backs the police and one who does not.<\/p>\n
Two state leaders introduced Paxton before he took the podium: Fort Worth Sheriff Bill Waybourne and state Rep. A.J. Lauderback, a retired Texas sheriff now representing House District 30. Lauderback praised Paxton for fighting what he called the \u201copen borders ideology\u201d and credited him with funding Operation Lone Star,<\/a> the state\u2019s border security strategy fighting illegal immigration and the influx of drugs like fentanyl, launched during the Biden administration.<\/p>\n Once at the microphone, Paxton thanked the sheriffs in attendance and pledged loyalty to police departments across the Lone Star State, telling the crowd that officers \u201cneed to know that their elected officials have their back.\u201d He pointed to his office\u2019s record defending officers in court, prosecuting violent crime referred by local agencies, and building new units \u2013 including a human trafficking and transnational organized crime section and a cold case and missing persons unit \u2013 as evidence of his commitment to the police.<\/p>\n Paxton then took the time to spotlight how Texas\u2019 size and location make it a magnet for trafficking networks, and said his office created specialized resources so local agencies could better investigate and dismantle those operations. He also highlighted the office\u2019s work on unsolved cases, saying families \u201cshould never lose hope simply because years have passed.\u201d<\/p>\n Turning to His Opponent<\/p>\n The bulk of Paxton\u2019s speech centered on Talarico, whom he accused of embracing the \u201cdefund the police\u201d movement in 2020. A sign on Paxton\u2019s podium read \u201cTalarico: Handcuffed to His Record,\u201d displaying several critiques of Talarico\u2019s past, including his donations to \u201cdefund the police\u201d efforts in Austin.\u2028Paxton described how Talarico donated money to the Austin Justice Coalition, an organization he described as having pushed to defund the Austin Police Department and opposed a local ballot measure aimed at funding police.<\/p>\n Paxton claimed Talarico has said policing is \u201cdeeply broken\u201d and criticized his legislative votes \u2013 adding that Talarico opposed tighter bail rules for repeat offenders, mandatory minimums for human smugglers, stood against labeling Mexican cartels as terrorist organizations, and enhanced penalties for organized crime.<\/p>\n Paxton then laid out his own Senate agenda: fully funding what he called President Trump\u2019s security priorities, continuing border enforcement, targeting those cartels moving fentanyl more aggressively, backing mandatory detention and deportation of criminal migrants, and preserving qualified immunity protections for officers.<\/p>\n \u201cI will always have your back,\u201d Paxton told the officers.<\/p>\n Questions Deflected<\/p>\n During a brief question period, a reporter asked Paxton to respond to recent reporting regarding property acquisitions tied to his campaign. Paxton declined, saying he wanted to keep the event focused on law enforcement given the sheriffs present. He similarly declined to answer a question about his voting history in college, again citing the law enforcement focus of the press conference.<\/p>\n Asked what message he\u2019d offer undecided voters with polls showing a tight race, Paxton repeated his framing of the contest: that he has supported law enforcement funding and protections while Talarico\u2019s record and donations reflect the opposite.<\/p>\n More Baggage for Talarico\u2019s Campaign<\/p>\n Tuesday\u2019s focus on Talarico\u2019s record follows a pattern The Dallas Express has tracked throughout the race. As previously reported by DX<\/a>, Talarico\u2019s religious views \u2013 including past comments on gender, abortion and biblical interpretation \u2013 have drawn sharp criticism from Republicans and Christian commentators who argue his positions diverge from historic Christian doctrine. This controversy has followed him since he first emerged as the Democratic nominee.<\/p>\n