Paxton calls Talarico 'most radical Democrat in Texas history' at GOP's midterm convention
DALLAS — Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton rallied supporters at the GOP's midterm convention on Wednesday, where he praised President Donald Trump, outlined tax relief proposals aimed at working families, and sharply criticized his opponent as a radical threat to the state and the country.
In his remarks at the heavily barricaded American Airlines Center, the 63-year-old Paxton opened by welcoming convention attendees to Texas and praising Trump for repeatedly overcoming efforts by “the press, the courts and others” to undermine him. He said Trump has secured victories for America that no other president could and “always stood up for Texas.”
He recounted growing up as the son of an Air Force veteran who flew B-52s, living in a white trailer with no air conditioning outside a military base. He linked that experience to the struggles of hardworking Texans who fear they will never get ahead — the people he said he fights for.
“We didn't have much, but I learned more about service to my country in that trailer than I did in any classroom,” said Paxton. “And that's why this is so personal to me everywhere I go.”
Paxton outlined a plan he claimed would put $1,000 back into Texans’ pockets, with proposals including a $50,000 down-payment tax deduction to help with homeownership, a $25,000 tax deduction for medical expenses so “no family should go bankrupt just for getting sick,” and a “healthy living” tax deduction covering gym memberships, nutrition plans and even prescribed GLP-1 medications. He also called for doubling the child tax credit and making certain savings accounts permanent.
Paxton then turned to his Democratic rival, state Rep. James Talarico, labeling him a democratic socialist and “the most radical Democrat in Texas history.” Paxton also highlighted controversial comments made by Talarico, a Presbyterian seminarian, about the Christian faith.
“He calls himself a Christian who hates Christianity. Said God is non-binary. I must have missed that verse in the Bible,” said Paxton. “And of course, he claimed there were six genders, which is absolutely crazy.”
After accusing Talarico of supporting higher taxes on tips, overtime and Social Security and plans to transition Texas away from oil and gas, Paxton said, “How about we transition him and this crazy idea right out of Texas?”
Paxton’s comments at the first-ever GOP midterm convention echoed an attack ad he released last week, which depicted a figure resembling Talarico reading from a “King James Talarico” Bible.
The event, dubbed "Trumpapalooza" by RNC Chairman Joe Gruters, is expected to draw roughly 20,000 attendees and cost the city of Dallas more than $2 million in public-safety and logistical expenses.
After defeating Sen. John Cornyn in a Republican runoff in May, Paxton will face Talarico in a race that most pollsters say remains a toss-up just two months before the Nov. 3 general election.
Talarico was also in Dallas on Wednesday to speak with supporters at a food drive at the Frederick Douglass Human Services and Justice Center, where he called the convention a gathering of “billionaire megadonors” who spent the event “toasting to their own corruption.”
Ian M. Giatti is a reporter for The Christian Post. He can be reached at: ian.giatti@christianpost.com.
