Talarico challenges Paxton to a TMZ-hosted debate as Texas Senate race tightens

Texas Democratic Senate nominee James Talarico has challenged Republican Attorney General Ken Paxton to a debate hosted by TMZ, the entertainment news outlet. He is renewing his calls for a face-off before the Nov. 3 election ¹.

In an interview with TMZ, Talarico said Paxton has repeatedly ignored his invitations. He proposed the outlet as host after learning one of its reporters had recently pressed Paxton about his reluctance to debate ¹.

What each man said

Paxton told a TMZ reporter on Wednesday that he would be open to a debate. He said he did not “want to end up with the CNN reporter covering the debate” ¹.

Ken Paxton has refused to debate and that’s pretty Low-T behavior in my book

Talarico was referring to an attack ad in which Paxton called him “Low-T Talarico,” an insult aimed at his masculinity ¹. Talarico also said TMZ can “get a hold of Ken Paxton easier than most journalists do” ¹.

Talarico pushed back on Paxton's conditions. He said he had also offered to debate on more conservative-leaning outlets such as Fox News ¹. Paxton has not agreed to debate, despite the repeated public challenges ¹.

A long-running standoff

This is not the first time the two have sparred over a debate. On Oct. 7, President Trump posted on Truth Social that Talarico should “immediately report to a debate stage against Ken Paxton” ².

Talarico answered on X that he agreed and that the next move was up to the other side ². At that point, his campaign said he was home with the flu and would be back on the trail that weekend ². Talarico had also proposed a Fox News debate moderated by Bret Baier ².

A tight race in a red state

The two are competing for the Senate seat held by Sen. John Cornyn, a Republican. Paxton beat Cornyn in a primary runoff earlier this year with Trump's endorsement ¹.

Cornyn warned that Paxton's repeated scandals could hurt Republicans, saying the attorney general “endangers the seat as the nominee” ¹. Trump has stood by Paxton and blamed Cornyn and strategist Karl Rove for making the race harder ¹.

The latest poll we reported has Talarico narrowly ahead, 48% to 46%. A YouGov poll cited earlier this month showed him ahead by six points ².

What happens next

No debate is scheduled. Election Day is Nov. 3, and early voting is already under way in many places. Whether Paxton agrees to any stage is now the open question.

That matters because debates are one of the few times voters see candidates answer the same questions side by side. Paxton says he is open to one, but his conditions have so far kept it from happening ¹.

The Record

1. Oct 7, 2026Trump posts on Truth Social that Talarico should report to a debate stage against Paxton; Talarico says he agrees ².
2. Oct 21, 2026Paxton tells a TMZ reporter he is open to a debate but does not want the CNN reporter covering it ¹.
3. Oct 22, 2026Talarico suggests TMZ host a debate with Paxton ¹.

Sources

1. The Hill, “Talarico challenges 'Low T' Paxton to debate” (2026-10-22). thehill.com/homenews/campaign/6164937-talarico-challenges-pa
2. FOX 7 Austin, “Trump calls for debate between Talarico and Paxton, who has resisted previous calls” (2026-10-08). fox7austin.com/news/texas-senate-talarico-paxton-debate-trum

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