A longtime Republican congressional staffer has crossed party lines to join Democratic state Representative James Talarico’s campaign for the U.S. Jacob Smith, who spent five years working for Republican Senator John Cornyn as a deputy legislative director and policy adviser, will serve as Talarico’s deputy policy director, the latter's campaign has confirmed to Newsweek. He praised the Democrat’s focus on lowering costs and improving economic opportunities for Texans.
Smith also urged fellow Republicans to oppose Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, the GOP Senate nominee, describing him as unfit for office. Paxton defeated Cornyn in a bitter Republican primary runoff earlier this year, setting up a general election contest against Talarico. Campaign staffers rarely move directly from serving a prominent elected official in one party to helping the opposing party win the same Senate seat.
Newsweek has contacted Cornyn’s office, via email outside of normal working hours on Tuesday, for comment. Smith cast his decision as a rejection of partisan loyalty and an endorsement of Talarico’s economic message, while sharply criticizing Republican nominee Ken Paxton. In the statement provided to Newsweek, Smith said: “Instead of playing partisan politics, Talarico speaks to the needs of everyday people who day in and day out work too hard for too little.
In the Senate, James will fight to lower costs for all 31 million Texans, whether they’re Republicans, Democrats, or independents, so that Texans of all ages have a fighting chance at the American Dream of starting a family, owning a home, and leaving a little behind for their children. I’m encouraging all my fellow Republicans who know Ken Paxton is unfit to serve in the Senate to finally hold him accountable at the ballot box.” The appeal to Smith’s “fellow Republicans” points to a central challenge for Talarico ahead of the November election. A Democrat has not won a statewide race in Texas since 1994, meaning Talarico will likely need both strong Democratic turnout and support from independents and Republican voters unwilling to back Paxton.
Smith has spent his career working on policy for Republican lawmakers in Washington. Earlier in his career, he served as a legislative aide to Republican Senator Roger Wicker of Mississippi. Wicker’s work has included national security, telecommunications, technology and infrastructure policy; he currently chairs the Senate Armed Services Committee and is a senior member of the Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee, according to Wicker’s official Senate biography.
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