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tongues → sign → Hill
Ken Paxton accused James Talarico of wanting to 'transition our kids' while the Democrat called his GOP opponent 'the most corrupt politician in Texas' in dueling rallies in the same city Monday.
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Democrat → accuse → city
The Lone Star State hasn't sent a Democrat to the Senate since 1993 but State Representative Talarico has a marginal lead over Texas Attorney General Paxton in the polling averages.
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Talarico → send → averages
The campaigns both spent the first day of early voting in Fort Worth, the fourth largest city in Texas.
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campaigns → spend → Texas
Paxton featured Robert F Kennedy Jr as a guest speaker, while Talarico featured an ad using cast members from the TV series Friday Night Lights.
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Talarico → feature → series
Paxton, the state's attorney general, accused Talarico of being a radical on social issues, including transgender children, at the T&P Station Wedding and Event Venue.
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Paxton → accuse → Venue
He wants to transition our kids, he wants to transition Texas off of oil and gas.
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he → want → oil
How about we transition him and his crazy ideas right out of Texas?' he said to roaring applause.
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he → transition → applause
Talarico has made pro-trans statements in the past and has had to walk back suggesting that God was nonbinary.
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God → make → past
Paxton also went after the Democratic state representative on economic policy, including Talarico's criticism of the 'Big, Beautiful Bill.'
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Paxton → go → Bill
'James Talarico has a plan for your money, it just doesn't include you.
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it → have → you
You all know that's true.
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that → know → ?
He is a radical who has never met a tax increase in his love.
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who → meet → love
He said that Trump tax cuts were deeply immoral.
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cuts → say → ?
That's who he is,' Paxton said.
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Paxton → say → ?
Ken Paxton (pictured) accused James Talarico of wanting to 'transition our kids' while the Democrat called his GOP opponent 'the most corrupt politician in Texas' in dueling rallies in the same city Monday
Talarico has made pro-trans statements in the past and has had to walk back suggesting that God was nonbinary
Kennedy was on hand to fully endorse Paxton and spoke about how the attorney general would help his fight against autism in Washington.
Talarico, meanwhile, continued to hammer away at accusations of corruption against Paxton, calling him 'the most corrupt politician in Texas' in a speech that never mentioned President Donald Trump.
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that → picture → Trump
'Ken Paxton is everything that's wrong with our politics,' he said, accusing Paxton of increasing his own net worth by $27million since taking office.
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he → say → office
We can't afford gas or groceries or healthcare because the system has been rigged by billionaires and corrupt politicians like Ken Paxton.
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system → afford → Paxton
Scandal has swamped Paxton in recent years, from an impeachment attempt by his own party to being indicted on securities fraud and other charges over an alleged scheme to mislead investors to giving a job to a Christian influencer he was having an affair with.
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he → swamp → affair
Talarico also pushed a campaign ad starring Connie Britton, Jesse Plemons and other stars from the 2000s NBC series Friday Night Lights, which was based and filmed in Texas.
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which → push → Texas
He is referring to his tour as the 'Clear Eyes, Full Hearts' tour, in a reference to a famous line from the show.
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He → refer → show
Talarico has pitched himself as an upstart disruptor of the state's Republican establishment, especially with Austin resident Elon Musk pumping millions into Paxton's campaign.
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Musk → pitch → campaign
Paxton featured Robert F Kennedy Jr as a guest speaker at his rally in Fort Worth
President Donald Trump endorsed Paxton in his runoff race against the Republican Senator John Cornyn
The national conversation around Talarico’s campaign has evolved over the past months.
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conversation → feature → months
Initially, the state lawmaker was considered just the latest of several Democratic candidates over the past years who gave the party a hope of flipping Texas, only for that hope to deflate come Election Day.
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hope → consider → Day
Now, Talarico is seen as a real contender to win the seat against Paxton.
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Talarico → see → Paxton
He holds a narrow advantage over Paxton, leading 48 percent to 46 percent in a University of Houston poll released Monday.
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He → hold → poll
Talarico’s success so far can partly be chalked up to voters’ apprehensions toward Paxton, who faced questions in his past over corruption, including being impeached by his own party in the Texas legislature.
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who → chalk → legislature
He was later acquitted.
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He → acquit → ?
While outside spending in support of Paxton has flooded the Texas airwaves with ads, Talarico’s campaign itself has outpaced Paxton’s in fundraising from donors eager for Texas to forgo its solidly Republican title.
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Texas → flood → title
The prospect of a flagship GOP state turning blue doesn’t just fill Democrats with glee and Republicans with alarm.
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state → turn → alarm
Whoever wins will help determine which party controls the Senate in Trump’s final two years in office, making it either smooth sailing for Trump or a bog of investigations and opposition.
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it → win → investigations
Talarico has pitched himself as an upstart disruptor of the state's Republican establishment, especially with Austin resident Elon Musk (pictured left) pumping millions into Paxton's campaign
Scandal has swamped Paxton in recent years, from an impeachment attempt by his own party to being indicted on securities fraud and other charges over an alleged scheme to mislead investors to giving a job to a Christian influencer he was having an affair with
Talarico, a seminarian and state representative, has also tread a very careful path — as nonpartisan as he can — from the major metros that already tilt Democratic, along the border towns that flipped from blue to red last election, and to the rural Republican high plains and desert.
The candidate has distanced himself from former President Joe Biden’s administration and his own party, and while progressive Senator Bernie Sanders is coming to Texas this month, he won’t be sharing a stage with Talarico.
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he → pitch → Talarico
Talarico’s strategy is to take direct aim at what voters say they are most concerned about: the costs that have inexorably grown for years.
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that → take → years
That unaffordability, Talarico argued at the nighttime rally in Texas that was packed with younger voters, is because billionaires and corrupt politicians have rigged the system.
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billionaires → argue → system
Trump and Republicans are well aware of Talarico’s ability to connect with voters, and of Paxton’s struggles to find purchase in what would otherwise be a relatively easy race for a Republican.
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what → connect → Republican
The President has made several trips to Texas to rally for Paxton.
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President → make → Paxton
Paxton has received significant financial support from Musk, who last year headed Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency.
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who → receive → Efficiency
Musk contributed $158 million to the Senate Leadership Fund, federal campaign spending filings showed Thursday.
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filings → contribute → Fund
The Senate Leadership Fund gave $158 million to Texas PAC, the largest contributor to Paxton’s campaign.
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Fund → give → campaign
Musk also provided $10 million to Lone Star Liberty PAC, a group that supports Paxton.
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that → provide → Paxton
…and 8 more, not listed.
The Aporia
