Texas Democratic Senate nominee James Talarico released a new advertisement on Wednesday, tearing into his competitor, state Attorney General Ken Paxton, for dodging the Democrat’s invitations to debate.
Talarico challenged Paxton to three televised debates for the weeks leading up to the general election, but said the Republicans’ “billionaire handlers won’t let their favorite puppet answer questions in public.”
The new ad opens with a video of a reporter asking Paxton if he plans to participate in the debates against Talarico, to which Paxton does not answer and continues walking.
“This is Ken Paxton chickening out of a debate,” the ad said.
Three debates are scheduled between the two candidates on Sept. 22, Oct. 6, and Oct. 13, each hosted by a different news station. Talarico “immediately” agreed to the events, but Paxton has yet to say whether or not he plans to attend.
“His handlers say he is just ironing out the details,” the ad said. “They’ve been saying he is close to an agreement for weeks. But we know Ken Paxton.”
The ad continues to say Paxton hasn’t engaged in a debate since he was impeached or indicted on securities fraud. Paxton was impeached in 2023 but later acquitted, and the securities fraud charge against him was dismissed.
“We get it. Ken Paxton’s billionaire handlers won’t let him answer questions in public,” the ad said. “They’ve got a lot riding on their favorite puppet becoming their own personal U.S. Senator. They know that if he opens his mouth, he’ll lose the election.”
“But go ahead, prove us wrong, Ken,” it continued. “Show us your billionaire handlers will finally let you on stage.”
The Washington Examiner reached out to Paxton for comment.
As the candidates inch closer to the general election, the environment continues to look like an uphill climb for Paxton. Other than his past scandals giving the Talarico camp ammunition in attack ads, Paxton’s campaign finances have been dwarfed by Talarico’s fundraising numbers.
According to Federal Election Commission filings from the end of June, Paxton has roughly $1.7 million in cash on hand, compared to Talarico’s over $21 million.
The financial front has caught the eye of Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD), who urged President Donald Trump to help with campaign funding in Texas, which Thune said tends to be “an incredibly expensive state.” Notably, some Republican donors have said it is Trump’s responsibility to support Paxton financially after his endorsement helped secure his victory over Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX), Thune, and other Republicans’ pick, in the primary.
THUNE SAYS ‘WE’RE GOING TO NEED’ TRUMP TO HELP WITH PRICEY TEXAS SENATE RACE
Trump’s campaign fundraising arm, Make America Great Again Inc., has yet to make an investment in Texas to support Paxton’s campaign despite having over $400 million in cash on hand at the end of July, according to FEC filings.
Paxton may have help on the horizon as the Republican National Committee is set to hold its first-ever midterm convention in Dallas next week and is likely to host Republican donors with deep pockets. During the GOP’s event, Talarico will be in Los Angeles with “Lost” co-creator Damon Lindelof to host a fundraiser for the Democrats’ campaign.