Texas Senate Nominees Agree to Three Televised Debates

Texas state Rep. James Talarico challenged state Attorney General Ken Paxton to three televised debates in the race for the U.S. Senate seat currently held by Sen. John Cornyn. Talarico issued the challenge during a Thursday interview on MS Now’s Morning Joe.

Paxton’s campaign accepted the proposal the same day. Adviser Nick Maddux said the campaign would debate Talarico and would engage with potential debate hosts. Talarico said Paxton does not answer to the public.

“He is a puppet politician, and I want him to prove me wrong,” Talarico said. He added that he answers to Texas voters while Paxton answers to billionaire mega-donors. Maddux described Talarico as out of touch and a dangerous radical whose record is toxic and extreme.

He said voters should learn about the real Talarico. Both candidates are seeking to replace Cornyn, who lost to Paxton in the Republican primary runoff. A June poll from the Texas Politics Project at the University of Texas at Austin showed Paxton leading Talarico by 1 percentage point, within the margin of error.

Talarico raised $30 million in the second quarter of 2026, while Paxton raised $9 million, according to campaign finance reports cited in multiple outlets. Talarico also criticized Paxton for spending the Fourth of July weekend in the United Kingdom with Christian influencer Tracy Duhon amid ongoing divorce proceedings with state Sen. Angela Paxton.