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EXCLUSIVE: As Democrats salivate over an elusive statewide victory in Texas, Republican Senate candidate Ken Paxton says he is undeterred by recent polling showing his Democratic opponent James Talarico holding a slim lead.
Democrats believe this is their moment to finally flip Texas blue after decades of frustrated efforts. Such an upset would be devastating for the GOP’s chances of retaining a Senate majority. Speaking with Fox News Digital after a rally in Houston, Paxton said Talarico’s current lead is "not surprising" given "we were three months behind" after his primary runoff with incumbent Sen. John Cornyn.
"He had three months to fundraise. So, he's been spending $2 million a week to gain that advance," Paxton said. Despite this, Paxton, who currently serves as Texas’ attorney general, said that, come Election Day, he is confident Texans will reject the "real James Talarico" when they hear about his record. Talarico, a state Democratic lawmaker, has a history of controversial statements, including previously asserting that "God is nonbinary," that there are six sexes, and calling it "existential" to reduce meat consumption to fight climate change.
"I do not believe a poll that tells me that, ‘We don't care what he believes. We don't care that he voted for a state income tax. We don't care that he wanted to trans children. We don't care that he's against the oil and gas industry. We don't care that he voted against every border security bill,’" Paxton continued. "I don't believe a poll that says Texans don't care about those issues. I've done enough polling; I've been in this long enough that that's just not true."
Left: Democratic Senate candidate James Talarico speaks during a press conference at the Hyatt Centric Congress Avenue on July 22, 2026 in Austin, Texas. Right: Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton waves at the conclusion of a campaign event at Matt's Rancho Martinez restaurant on August 04, 2026 in Allen, Texas. (Brandon Bell/Getty Images; Brandon Bell/Getty Images)
This comes as both candidates continue to crisscross the Lone Star State to get their message out to voters.
A recent Fox News poll of Texas voters showed Talarico with a within-margin-of-error lead in the race, 51% to 48%. Talarico held a slightly wider lead among extremely motivated and extremely interested voters, 53% to 47%, according to the poll. Critically, the Fox News poll found that 59% of Texas voters indicated they are concerned about Paxton’s character while just 47% indicated they are concerned about Talarico being "too extreme" for Texas.
Paxton accused Talarico of "trying to mislead people about who he is" by masking a far-left "socialist" agenda while running as a moderate. He said Talarico has "changed all his positions on pick an issue, whether it's boys in girls’ sports, or meat, or trans-ing kids."
"All of his positions suddenly changed for the general election [but] we have his votes, and we have his words, and those will be out," he said.
Fox News Digital reached out to the Talarico campaign for comment and did not receive a response before publication.
Talarico held a general election kick-off event in Houston the day after Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton won the GOP's Senate nomination. (Peter Pinedo/Fox News Digital)
While he acknowledged that many Texas voters have not heard his messaging on Talarico’s controversial views, he pointed out during his rally that Talarico has been aided by an influx of cash from out of state, particularly California.
Fox News Digital reported in June that donors from outside Texas accounted for roughly 50% of the funds Talarico received during the final stretch of the first quarter of 2026. During the same time period, Paxton, meanwhile, received about 25% of his cash from outside the state.
Still, the fundraising difference is stark. The Texas Tribune reported in late July that the latest quarterly Federal Election Commission filings show Talarico outraised Paxton by a more than three-to-one margin, $31.6 million to $9.3 million.
Paxton, however, appeared unbothered by all of this, pointing to how Talarico has had the advantage of several months to focus his attacks. While polling suggests the Texas GOP remains divided after the particularly messy Senate primary, Paxton said, "Primaries are like that for Democrats and Republicans" and "we are coming together."
TALARICO TOUTS TEXAS ROOTS AS OUT-OF-STATE CASH POWERS SENATE CAMPAIGN
HOUSTON, TEXAS - JUNE 12: Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is shown during the Texas GOP convention in the George R. Brown Convention Center in Houston Friday, June 12, 2026. (Melissa Phillip/Houston Chronicle via Getty Images) ((Melissa Phillip/Houston Chronicle via Getty Images))
As he travels the state, he said he will continue highlighting the "stark difference" between him and Talarico. Meanwhile, the attorney general said he will be keeping his pitch focused on affordability and cutting regulations.
"We know that Texans need help; we know that Americans need help. That's why I'm suggesting, and what I'm proposing is a first-time homebuyers’ $50,000 tax deduction, I'm proposing a $25,000 a year deduction for medical expenses including insurance premiums for everyone in the family. The child tax credit being doubled, the Trump accounts being continued. And then a $5,000 healthy living deduction so that you can pay for gym expenses and nutrition programs, sports activities, and even doctor-prescribed GLP-1," he said.
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"We're still three months out," Paxton continued. "And I know that when we put our resources together, when we get there, we will be able to highlight things and once the voters know the real James Talarico, not the fake one that's running right now … people will get to decide for themselves."
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"Do we want a socialist Democrat in Texas?" he asked. "I think the answer is going to be absolutely not."
Peter Pinedo is a politics writer for Fox News Digital.
