State Rep. James Talarico is going up with his first negative television ad of the U.S. Senate race — a 30-second spot attacking Attorney General Ken Paxton over allegations of corruption.
Talarico has frequently criticized Paxton on the campaign trail over his 2023 impeachment by the Texas House and the growth of his net worth while in office. But the ad is the first time he’s attacked his opponent, in either the primary or the general election, in a paid ad on the airwaves.
The Republican-controlled Texas House impeached Paxton over allegations of abuse of office three years ago. The attorney general was ultimately acquitted on all charges by the Texas Senate.
The ad, titled “Most Corrupt”, includes footage of Talarico bashing Paxton on the stump. It will air for the first time Saturday during Texas Christian University’s opening football game against the University of North Carolina as part of an existing eight-figure statewide ad buy, his campaign said.
“Ken Paxton is the most corrupt politician in Texas,” Talarico says in the ad, highlighting Paxton’s large real estate portfolio and impeachment. “We cannot afford Ken Paxton’s corruption.”
Talarico has spent nearly $29 million on ads prior to this week, nearly all of them positive — introducing voters to himself via spots featuring his history as a teacher, his grandfather and the Democrat lamenting the cost of living.
Talarico has previously attacked Paxton in an online ad, but the new spot is the first negative ad on television and that the campaign has put significant money behind.
Paxton, by contrast, has spent very little on advertising thus far in the general election. Several allied GOP groups have gone up with television ads in the past week hitting Talarico for his vote on a bill banning the sale of Texas land to individuals, governments or entities connected to China.
In a statement, Paxton senior advisor Nick Maddux said Texas voters do not support Talarico’s record on a litany of issues.
“Everything James Talarico does is a desperate attempt to hide his own far-left record,” Maddux said. “He thinks releasing ads on debunked insider attacks will distract voters and make them forget about his atrocious record of voting for higher taxes to make life less affordable for working families, supporting boys in girls’ sports and championing the Democrat Socialist agenda including defunding the police and destroying capitalism. That is not the case.”
In 2024, Democratic Senate candidate Colin Allred hit Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, early, releasing an ad in February — before the primary even — attacking him on abortion. In 2018, by contrast, Democrat Beto O’Rourke aired his first negative ads in mid-October.
Talarico beat Rep. Jasmine Crockett, D-Dallas, in the primary in March, but aired exclusively positive and biographical television ads.
