Talarico calls Paxton 'most corrupt politician in Texas' at Dallas rally five days out

Democrat James Talarico told a Dallas crowd Thursday evening that "Elon Musk is trying to buy this Senate seat in Texas." He spoke five days before Election Day at the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center, as part of his "Clear Eyes, Full Hearts" tour ¹.

Talarico is a Texas state representative. He is running against Republican Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton for the seat now held by Sen. John Cornyn, who lost the Republican primary runoff to Paxton in May ¹.

Corruption is the closing argument

Talarico called Paxton "the most corrupt politician in Texas." He said Paxton has increased his net worth by $27 million since taking office and now owns 15 homes. Those are Talarico's claims, and the report did not independently verify them ¹.

Talarico also pointed to Paxton's 2023 impeachment. The Republican-controlled Texas House accused Paxton of accepting bribes and misusing his office to help friend and donor Nate Paul, an Austin real estate investor who was under federal investigation. The Texas Senate acquitted Paxton later that year ¹.

From Channel GOPTalarico: Elon Musk is trying to buy Texas Senate seatJames Talarico · 139 plays · captioned, with the source named

Talarico said oil tycoons Tim Dunn and Farris Wilks then spent millions on attack ads against Republican lawmakers who backed impeachment. He said many of them lost their seats ¹.

The Musk money

Courthouse News reports that Musk, the world's richest man, has put $168 million into the race in support of Paxton ¹. An earlier report said Musk gave $158 million to the Senate Leadership Fund. It said he also gave $10 million to Lone Star Liberty PAC, which backs Paxton. The report said the Senate Leadership Fund in turn gave $158 million to Texas PAC, the largest contributor to Paxton's campaign ².

Talarico framed the race as David against Goliath. He named "billionaire mega-donors," "corporate special interests" and "the entire Washington, D.C., establishment" as the Goliaths ¹. At an earlier rally he put it more bluntly: "Ken Paxton is funded by one dude" ².

What Paxton says

Paxton has stayed loyal to President Trump, who endorsed him and has flown to Texas several times and praised Paxton's work as attorney general. He portrays Talarico as an extreme liberal ². At his own rally, Paxton said, "If we lose Texas, we lose America" ².

Polling shows Talarico narrowly ahead ¹. Ad-tracking firm AdImpact puts total ad spending at just under $340 million since each candidate won his nomination. Talarico's campaign has amassed more money and outpaced Paxton's in spending, but Paxton now has the edge in total spending ².

What happens next

Polls close in Texas on Tuesday, Nov. 3. The race is one of the most watched in the country because Texas has not had a Democratic senator in decades ¹.

That matters because Republicans control the Senate, the House and the White House. A Democratic win in a state this red would be a major upset. It would also test whether a message built on corruption and costs can beat a flood of outside money ¹².

The Record

1. Jan 1, 2023The Texas Senate acquitted Paxton after the Texas House impeached him earlier in 2023 on bribery and abuse-of-office accusations ¹.
2. May 1, 2026Paxton beat Sen. John Cornyn in the Republican primary runoff, according to Courthouse News, which dated it only to May ¹.
3. Oct 29, 2026Talarico rallied in Dallas and called Paxton 'the most corrupt politician in Texas' ¹.

Sources

1. Courthouse News, “Talarico slams Paxton at Dallas rally: 'Most corrupt politician in Texas'” (2026-10-30). courthousenews.com/talarico-slams-paxton-at-dallas-rally-mos
2. Anchorage Daily News (AP), “Fear and hope in Texas: Paxton vs. Talarico in an expensive US Senate showdown” (2026-10-23). adn.com/nation-world/2026/10/23/fear-and-hope-in-texas-paxto

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