The Republicans Just Nominated the One Guy Who Could Lose Texas
Ken Paxton is a scandal-plagued nominee. James Talarico is a generational talent. The structural environment is better than 2018. This is the shot.
The field in the Lone Star State is set. Last night, Texas Republicans nominated Trump-backed and scandal-plagued Attorney General Ken Paxton for Senate. Paxton defeated John Cornyn, a four-term incumbent and former Senate Majority Whip.
This is an absolute gift to Democrats.
The Paxton-Cornyn primary was one of the most brutal and expensive in modern political history, with accusations of adultery, bribery, support for Sharia law, and so much else. The end result is a bruised and battered, very vulnerable Ken Paxton running against an incredibly talented and well-funded Democrat in James Talarico.
Texas has been the great white whale for Democrats. We have been eyeing the state's shifting demographics, waiting for the day when we had a real shot at turning it blue. Every few cycles, we get our hopes up, fall in love with an exciting Texas Democrat, invest our money and hopes into Texas, only to have the rug pulled out in the end.
So, I understand why so many people are skeptical of Talarico’s chances. This is a very hard state. But make no mistake: this is Democrats’ best shot to win Texas in a generation.
