Democratic U.S. Senate candidate James Talarico is gaining cross-party support in North Texas, even as his opponent, Republican state Attorney General Ken Paxton, benefits from significant outside political spending.
About 20 former elected Republicans from North Texas have endorsed Talarico, an state representative from Austin running for the U.S. Senate seat. Among the supporters is former Dallas Mayor Steve Bartlett, who stated he endorsed Talarico while continuing to uphold his Republican values. The group of endorsements also includes former Congressman Alan Steelman, former Dallas City Council members Donna Halstead and Jim Richards, and former Tarrant County Judge Glen Whitley.
In response to the cross-party backing, Talarico emphasized a broad appeal to voters, stating that his message is designed to give Texans across the political spectrum a place in his movement.
At the same time, Paxton’s campaign is seeing substantial support from political action committees. A super PAC aligned with Senate Republicans has committed to a $50 million ad buy to assist the campaign. Additionally, following the recent GOP convention in Dallas, the Trump-aligned super PAC MAGA Inc. directed $10 million toward television commercials.
