Democratic U.S. Senate candidate James Talarico is challenging his General Election opponent to a series of live debates.
Talarico has called for Republican candidate Ken Paxton to take part in three televised debates ahead of the Nov. 3 General Election. So far, Ken Paxton has not responded to his request.
Three Texas media groups invited Talarico and Paxton to televised debates, including Nexstar Media Group and KXAN News, NBC News/NBCUniversal/Hearst Texas and WFAA/TEGNA. Talarico has already agreed to all three.
“Ken Paxton’s billionaire handlers won’t let him answer questions in public," Talarico said in a news release. "It’s why he hasn’t set foot on a debate stage in over a decade. Ken Paxton won't answer the public's questions because he's
not a public servant — he’s a puppet.
"But I want him to prove me wrong. I’m challenging Ken Paxton to three televised debates. I’ll be on that debate stage because I answer to the people of Texas. Ken Paxton answers to his billionaire mega-donors. We’ll see if they let him show up.”
The call for a series of debates comes as Paxton has been accused of dodging reporters as they attempt to take him to task over his opponent's claim that Paxton has a long record of corruption.
Talarico believes the following questions are what Paxton should answer in a debate:
- Why did you give an Epstein-style sweetheart deal to an admitted child predator?
- How did you become a multi-millionaire on a government salary?
- Where do you get off using your office to gut Texans' health care, overtime pay and food assistance?
- Did you cut a deal with Tim Dunn and Farris Wilks — your top two billionaire mega-donors — to buy an acquittal in your impeachment trial?
Talarico's team noted that Paxton has not taken part in a debate in more than a decade, making it unlikely that he would agree to one now.
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 challenges Paxton to 3 televised US Senate debates
