For much of his political career, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has avoided political debates with his rivals. That strategy has so far continued, with Paxton having yet to agree to a single debate against his Democratic opponent, James Talarico. Yet, with just weeks to go until Election Day, the pressure is building in a closely contested race for U.S.
A series of recent polls have found Talarico either narrowly ahead of or locked in a statistical dead heat with the scandal-plagued Republican nominee. This has raised concerns that the Democrats, in their bid to win a Senate majority, could triumph in a state that hasn’t elected a Democratic senator since 1988. Paxton and almost every Republican nominee for a statewide seat in Texas appear to be avoiding debating their opponents this cycle.
President Donald Trump’s slipping approval ratings amid the Iran war and rising gas prices have threatened Republicans in almost every state, according to recent national polling averages. Talarico, a state lawmaker from Austin, has been calling for a debate with Paxton for months. He publicly challenged Paxton in July to three televised debates.
He said that Paxton’s "handlers claim he’s willing to debate, but every time a reporter asks a question, he literally runs away." Last month, Talarico invited Paxton to debate him on Fox News. Paxton’s campaign said in July that he would debate his opponent, but later objected to some proposed moderators. It was later suggested an agreement was imminent, but nothing was announced.
Paxton has avoided debating his Democratic opponent during each of his three runs for Texas attorney general in 2014, 2018 and 2022. However, the Senate race is his highest-profile campaign to date. This time, calls for a debate have also come from Trump and other Republicans.
That has fueled speculation that Paxton could eventually step onto a stage against a candidate viewed as one of the Democrats' strongest recruits in a generation. Newsweek has contacted the Paxton and Talarico campaigns for comment via email and is awaiting responses. When Talarico stopped holding campaign events after falling ill with the flu, Paxton saw an opportunity to attack his opponent.
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