"Tell your family and friends to vote. ... If everyone does that, we keep Texas," state Attorney General Ken Paxton told a Fort Worth crowd onOct. 19, the first day of early voting in one of the most watched U.S. Senate races in years. "If we lose Texas, we lose America."
As I listened to Paxton's brief campaign speech, I was surprised by how much I wanted to like him. But I just couldn't. There's the indictment, the impeachment and, according to The Wall Street Journal, partying with fugitives in Dubai.
He seemed more approachable than I expected, but his speech left me worried for conservatives. With Election Day just two weeks away, Paxton's message is that he's a fighter who sued the Biden administration again and again, and that his opponent,
Democratic state legislator James Talarico, is a radical extremist.
Both may be true. But with polls this close and early voting seeming to favor Democrats, it isn't enough. If Paxton wants to win, he needs to bring it. So far, he hasn't.
Democrats are turning out for early voting in Texas
Early voting has started and runs through Oct. 30. The numbers so far give only a rough picture.
Harris and Dallas counties, both Democratic strongholds, posted record first-day turnout. So did Denton County, which leans Republican. In Dallas County, 76,079 people voted on the first day, about 20,000 more than on the first day of early voting in 2024, NBC DFW reported.
In Tarrant County, where I live – the largest Republican-held county in Texas – 50,409 ballots were cast on the first day, up from 29,197 in the 2022 midterm elections but slightly below 2024.
Texans are motivated. Voter registration has hit a record of more than 19 million, up 2.2% from 2024.
Primary turnout this year beat the 2022 midterm primary and was especially high among Democrats, according to TexPolls. Nationally, Pew Research Center found that about 63% of Democratic supporters are "extremely motivated" to vote this year, compared with 46% of Republican supporters.
What's driving Texas Democrats isn't clear: beating Paxton or electing Talarico.
Ken Paxton is running against ... Joe Biden?
I'm glad Texans are voting. But if Republicans want to keep Texas red, Paxton's pitch and persona matter. In person, he sounded underwhelming and predictable, and his message was muddled.
"When big government and big corporations went after you," Paxton told the crowd, "I went after them."
He rattled off companies he has sued as attorney general – Pfizer, Meta, Snapchat – and then his magnum opus, the Biden administration, which he has sued more than 100 times. That's well and good. But former President Joe Biden isn't his opponent for the U.S. Senate. Talarico is.
With a Democrat in the White House, Paxton's message might have resonated. But Americans are frustrated with an ongoing war and high gas prices, not federal overreach by a president who's no longer in the Oval Office. Paxton did tout his economic plan, which includes tax deductions and doubling the child tax credit.
Talarico is progressive, charming and manipulative. I don't think his values line up with most Texans'. But he's more engaging, and I can see why he appeals to young people, even if the charm is superficial and the allure misguided.
Paxton, meanwhile, is predictable, and that's disappointing. He needs something to counter his baggage and Talarico's smarmy persona. Right now, his only real advantage in Texas is that he's running as a Republican.
Conservatives shouldn't be left voting against Talarico just because he's too progressive for Texas. This is one of the reddest, freest, most economically robust states in the union. Voters here deserve a candidate worth voting for, someone who will make the state even better.
If Paxton is it, Talarico isn't the only one running a con. And Paxton may come to regret making Texas' historic cry of defiance the slogan of his campaign. "Come and Take It" is a dare. Democrats seem ready to take him up on it.
Nicole Russell is an opinion columnist with USA TODAY. She lives in Texas with her four kids. Sign up for her newsletter, The Right Track, and get it delivered to your inbox.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: I went to a Paxton rally. Texas Republicans deserve better | Opinion
