Paxton-Talarico Texas Senate race turns on scandals and gender attacks

Texas voters face a Senate contest defined by competing attacks on personal character rather than detailed policy contrasts. Republican nominee Ken Paxton enters the general election carrying an impeachment acquittal, a 2015 federal indictment, and a recent divorce filing, while Democratic nominee James Talarico confronts repeated references to his past statements on gender, biology, and diet.

Paxton defeated incumbent Sen. John Cornyn 64-36 in the May 2026 Republican runoff after receiving an endorsement from President Donald Trump. The Cook Political Report subsequently moved its rating from Likely Republican to Lean Republican. Talarico, a state representative and former seminarian, won his party's nomination and has raised substantial funds while emphasizing Paxton's legal history.

Paxton opened the general-election phase with a victory speech that included nicknames for Talarico such as "Six-Gender Jimmy," "Low-T Talarico," and "Tofu Talarico." He also released an ad that paired Talarico's image with the phrase "too low-T for Texas." White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller described Talarico on Fox News as the Democrats' "first transgender Senate candidate" and added that blood tests on Talarico would produce soy milk. Talarico is not transgender and has a girlfriend; he has stated that he eats meat and described his earlier "non-meat campaign" remark as limited to one prior race.

Talarico's campaign has centered on Paxton's record. In a CBS News interview, Talarico called Paxton "the most corrupt politician in America" and noted that he has eaten barbecue since before Paxton's first indictment. Paxton's office has pursued legal actions against providers of gender-affirming care for minors, including a 2022 opinion labeling such care child abuse and a later settlement requiring a detransitioning clinic.

Talarico has clarified earlier comments. In 2021 he said God is non-binary and that modern science recognizes six biological sexes based on chromosomal variations; he later stated there are two sexes and that chromosomal abnormalities warrant dignity and respect. He has also walked back a COVID-era social-media post that described white skin as conferring "immunity from the virus" of racism.

Polling before the primary showed a competitive general-election environment. Republican strategists have argued that focusing on Talarico's past positions can consolidate the GOP base, while Democratic strategists have said economic concerns will outweigh cultural messaging. No independent verification has emerged for every specific social-media claim circulated during the opening week of the general election.