The Republican nominee for the U.S. Senate in Texas, Ken Paxton, was grilled in friendly territory on Thursday after some Republicans said they won’t vote for him in the midterms.
Speaking with Newsmax host Rob Finnerty, Paxton watched an ad from his opponent, James Talarico, featuring self-identified Republicans saying they won’t vote for the GOP nominee.
“I’m a Republican. And I’m passing on Ken Paxton,” each of the GOPers in the ad said.
“OK, you can add Karl Rove to that list. George W. Bush’s brother said he’s voting for Talarico. So did his daughter, one of the twins. These are the guys who want to trans everything. What’s your reaction to that?” Finnerty said.
Paxton said he wasn’t sure how long the people featured in the ad had been Republicans and that he didn’t believe they represented the majority of GOP voters.
“And obviously James Talarico can’t prove any of what he’s saying. He doesn’t want to talk about his record or my record; ‘Let’s talk about something else called corruption that I make up’ that has never been proven, just like it wasn’t proven with President Trump,” Paxton said.
Recent polls show Paxton narrowly trailing Talarico in a race that could decide control of the Senate. Should Talarico prevail next week, he would be the first Democrat elected to the U.S. Senate in Texas since Lloyd Bentsen in 1988.