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Democratic Senate candidate James\u00a0Talarico being interviewed Saturday after a news conference at a\u00a0gas station in Carrollton.<\/p>\n
Anja Schlein\/The Dallas Morning News<\/p>\n
WASHINGTON \u2013 National Democrats are jumping into the Texas Senate race ad wars, seeking to boost nominee James Talarico<\/a> amid an onslaught of Republican attacks.<\/p>\n Senate Majority PAC, aligned with Senate Minority Leader Chuck\u00a0Schumer, D-N.Y., announced a new digital spot Tuesday targeting\u00a0Talarico\u2019s opponent, Republican Attorney General Ken Paxton<\/a>.<\/p>\n Republican Senate candidate Ken Paxton on Monday after a forum sponsored by the\u00a0United States Hispanic Business Council in Fort Worth.<\/p>\n Tom Fox\/The Dallas Morning News<\/p>\n Meanwhile, Fox News agreed Tuesday to host a debate between\u00a0Talarico and\u00a0Paxton after the Democrat offered to meet on what he called friendly turf for Paxton.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Paxton has not yet agreed to the debate, and his campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Talarico has called for several debates as the race grows heated just weeks before early voting starts.<\/p>\n \u201cKen Paxton is running from the fight. And that sounds like low-T behavior to me,\u201d Talarico said last week.<\/p>\n The new Talarico ad released by a Senate Majority PAC affiliate\u00a0criticizes a plea deal prosecutors in\u00a0Paxton\u2019s office\u00a0struck with Waco attorney Adam Hoffman<\/a>, who was accused of sexually abusing a child for years.<\/p>\n \u201cAdam Hoffman admitted to sexually abusing a child. He should\u2019ve spent the rest of his life in prison,\u201d the ad\u2019s narrator says. \u201cBut Ken\u00a0Paxton offered him a sweetheart deal.\u201d<\/p>\n Paxton defeated longtime Sen. John Cornyn<\/a> in the Republican runoff in May, winning by a significant margin<\/a> after a late endorsement by President Donald Trump<\/a>.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Cornyn made Paxton\u2019s handling of the Hoffman case<\/a> a key part of his closing campaign message.<\/p>\n Paxton\u2019s office took over the Hoffman prosecution after the McLennan County district attorney\u2019s office cited a conflict.\u00a0The initial result was a mistrial after jurors deadlocked.<\/p>\n Prosecutors reached the plea agreement after the victim declined to testify again. A judge sentenced Hoffman to 60 days in jail on two misdemeanors and he served about half that time.<\/p>\n Paxton has defended his handling of the case, saying he didn\u2019t want to force the victim to testify again.<\/p>\n \u201cWe wanted to retry it and we decided . . . it\u2019s more important to make sure that this kid is protected than to get the verdict that we actually want,\u201d\u00a0Paxton said Monday at a United States Hispanic Business Council forum<\/a>.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Hoffman\u2019s attorney, Gerry Morris of Austin, said earlier this year the case was tried well and defended the plea agreement as appropriate given weaknesses on both sides and the likelihood of another deadlocked jury.<\/p>\n The ad released Tuesday highlights Morris\u2019 past representation of Austin real estate developer\u00a0Nate Paul, whose relationship with Paxton helped trigger his 2023 impeachment in the GOP-led Texas House.<\/p>\n Paxton was acquitted by the Senate. Morris has rejected accusations his representation of Paul had any influence on the Hoffman case.<\/p>\n Republicans have been pouring money into the Texas Senate race, funding attack ads such as one calling\u00a0Talarico \u201cweird\u201d for previous commentary on transgender issues and Christianity.<\/p>\n Talarico has said those spots are an attempt to distract voters from Paxton\u2019s shortcomings and issues such as inflation.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n The deluge of Republican spending has prompted questions about whether Democrats will respond in kind. They devoted significant resources in 2024 to former Dallas Rep. Colin Allred\u2019s unsuccessful campaign to unseat Republican Sen. Ted Cruz.<\/p>\n Senate Majority PAC did not say how much it\u2019s putting behind the new digital ad or whether it will follow with a broader television campaign.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
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