Talarico targets West Texas in bid to unseat Paxton

Democratic Senate candidate James Talarico stood on a stage in Lubbock, Texas, on Tuesday, less than an hour after President Donald Trump finished speaking across town. Talarico addressed a crowd in one of the most conservative counties in the state, a region where Trump won by 40 points in the 2024 election.

Talarico, a seminarian and former teacher, framed his campaign as an underdog story. He drew comparisons to Friday night football and biblical narratives to describe his challenge against Trump and billionaire Elon Musk. The candidate said he intended to shock the nation by defeating wealthy opponents and taking back the state.

“We’re going to shock the nation and shock the world when we beat the billionaires and take back Texas,” Talarico said.

Trump had visited Texas for the third time in a month. His goal was to help Republican Ken Paxton, the current Attorney General, prevent Democrats from winning their first statewide election in more than 30 years. Before arriving in Lubbock, Trump spoke in Corpus Christi on the Gulf of Mexico coast.

In Lubbock, Trump focused on cultural differences to paint Talarico as too liberal for the region. The president argued that the candidate did not represent local values and that voters could not afford to take a chance on him. “He doesn’t represent your values, and we can’t take a chance,” Trump said.

Trump’s visit coincided with rising gas prices attributed to his administration’s conflict with Iran. He used the trip to emphasize a military operation in Venezuela and a new deal to process Venezuelan crude oil in Texas refineries. Secretary of State Marco Rubio appeared briefly on stage with Trump, though a State Department official said Rubio traveled in his capacity as national security adviser.

The campaign has attracted massive spending. Musk, who has headquartered his companies in Texas, has directed at least $158 million toward defeating Talarico. The funds went to the Senate Leadership Fund, which then gave the same amount to a Texas political action committee supporting Paxton. According to the ad tracking firm AdImpact, more than $563 million has been spent on advertising in the race since the primary.

Talarico has incorporated Musk’s spending into his message about political corruption. He argued that wealthy donations have fueled an affordability crisis. “He is trying to buy Texas,” Talarico said. “Texas is not for sale.”

The race mirrors the governor’s contest, where Democrat Gina Hinojosa challenges incumbent Greg Abbott. Hinojosa has sued to access communications between Abbott and Musk. A judge ruled on Monday that she must be able to review more than 1,000 unredacted pages of those documents by Thursday.

Trump is entering the final week of his last midterm cycle with a busy schedule. He has traveled through Mississippi, Michigan, Georgia, Florida, and Iowa in the past week. His upcoming stops include Ohio, South Carolina, Florida, Kansas, and Iowa. He won all of those states in 2024.