Democrat U.S. Senate candidate James Talarico is once again taking to the small screen to criticize his General Election opponent's numerous scandals.
Talarico is set to face Republican Ken Paxton in the Nov. 3 General Election — as that date draws near, Talarico has ramped up his attacks through massive ad buys airing on television and digitally.
The first ad, titled "The Truth," is a 30-second television ad that began airing statewide Friday, Oct. 2. The ad takes Paxton to task over the "dark-money super PACs" using AI videos to distort Talarico's record. The ad is part of Talarico's eight-figure ad buy ahead of the November election.
"Ken Paxton is lying about my record — even making fake AI videos of me," Talarico says in the ad. "No, I’m not
a member of the Chinese Communist Party. No, I don’t support sex-change surgeries for kids. I don’t have to use AI because the truth about Ken Paxton is bad enough."
The ad then pivots to some of the scandals that have defined Paxton's time as attorney general over the campaign season, including giving admitted child sex offender Adam Hoffman a light sentence, his impeachment for bribery by the Republican-controlled Texas House of Representatives, and his $27 million net worth raised on a government salary.
On the same day, Talarico's camp launched a digital ad that includes a "Ken Paxton Corruption Hotline" where voters can call to get a rundown of Paxton's various scandals.
The ad alleges that Paxton is "bought and paid for by the data center industry" and notes that his own senior advisors reported him to the FBI for abuse of office. It also references the Hoffman deal, the impeachment and Paxton's 15 homes acquired on a government salary.
The hotline can be reached by calling 1-844-WHOS-KEN.
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 launches new attacks in Texas US Senate race, targets AI ads
