Democrat U.S. Senate candidate James Talarico is expanding his reach as the contentious race hurtles toward November.
Talarico is going up against Republican Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton in the U.S. Senate battle, with both vying to replace outgoing U.S. Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, who was bested by Paxton in a May primary runoff election.
Talarico released a new television ad, entitled "Paw Paw," on Wednesday, Aug. 12, in which he appears on a porch alongside his grandfather, formerly a Baptist preacher in South Texas, and discusses how he learned to love God and love his neighbor as a Christian.
The latest ad builds on Talarico's seven-figure ad buy — like his earlier ads, "Paw Paw" is airing in the Dallas-Fort Worth, Houston, San Antonio,
El Paso, and Harlingen/McAllen media markets, but has also expanded to the Austin, Laredo, Corpus Christi, Waco/Temple/Bryan, and Tyler/Longview/Lufkin/Nacogdoches media markets, now reaching 90% of Texas voters through broadcast.
The ad notes that learning the two essential lessons of Christianity is what led Talarico to pursue a career in public service, first as a public-school teacher and now as a public official.
The ad echoes a common refrain in Talarico's campaign, which has sought to highlight his faith as part of his commitment to serving working Texas families continually struggling with rising prices on everything from groceries to healthcare.
Talarico's ad comes as polls continue to show him with a narrow lead over Paxton in the U.S. Senate contest.
Paxton, who has spent far less on advertising, recently sought to bring his message to Texas Latino voters with a Spanish-language ad highlighting his economic agenda.
Adam Powell covers government and politics for the El Paso Times and can be reached via email at apowell@elpasotimes.com.
This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: Talarico expands TV ad campaign in Texas US Senate race
