The Ultimate Guide to Talarico and Paxton’s “baggage” in Texas

One candidate's cringey comments; another's disturbing record.

Strap in, folks: we’re in for a bumpy ride in Texas. With a Trump endorsement and a big runoff victory under his belt, Ken Paxton is the GOP’s nominee for the Senate in what could be the messiest race of the year.

He’s the Attorney General who’s been indicted on securities fraud charges, impeached by a GOP-dominated House for corruption, and whose wife filed for divorce last year on “biblical grounds.”

As you’ve no doubt seen, Democratic candidate and State Rep. James Talarico has been dealing with some so-called ‘baggage’ of his own around comments he’s made about transgender rights, a “welcome mat” for immigrants, and his views on privilege and masculinity.

Texas is a conservative state, and even with moderate stances on issues like energy, Talarico has a steep hill to climb. He’ll need a lot of help both from Paxton and Trump, who presides over a poor economy.

For now, we looked into the facts on what each candidate is alleged to have said and did. When you compare the two, it’s pretty clear who’s got the worse record heading into this race.

Programming note: Every Wednesday, Jessica and Aaron Parnas host Raging Perspectives, a new weekly livestream for all our Substack subscribers. This week’s episode is at 2PM ET. Comment below to submit questions that you’d like answered live on the show.

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Did Talarico say “God is non-binary?” What about his comments on ‘six genders’ and loving trans kids?

Talarico is a longtime ally of the queer community. One of his first breakthrough moments in national politics came after he spoke out against a bill that would have required the display of the Ten Commandments in classrooms.

He’s made a number of comments about transgender Americans, in particular, that have caused a stir:

• “God is non-binary:” During a Texas House debate over an anti-trans bill in 2021, Talarico said that God has both masculine and feminine elements, so is ‘non-binary.’ Last week, on CBS, he said he was being “intentionally provocative.”

• Six genders: During another debate over the bill, Talarico said “modern science recognizes that there are many more than two biological sexes – in fact, there are six.” Talarico backtracked on that statement in the same CBS interview, saying that he knows there are two sexes, but that a small number of people have chromosomal abnormalities.

• Loving trans children: The right is also drawing attention to a 2023 podcast with Talarico where, asked about what he loves besides family and friends, he says “the trans children who showed up yesterday at the state capitol to advocate for their humanity.” Talarico was referencing a group of protesters who were speaking out against a trans health care bill; which he’d mentioned earlier in the episode.

Was Paxton really indicted on securities fraud?

Yes. In 2015, Paxton was indicted on three counts of securities fraud and related charges. They were over an alleged scheme to mislead investors in a technology company. The indictment accused Paxton of recruiting investors to that company without saying that the company was compensating him.

In March 2024, after many years of delays, prosecutors agreed to drop the charges against Paxton – but not without him performing at least 100 hours of community service, 15 hours of legal ethics courses, and $271,000 in restitution. Paxton originally faced up to decades in prison, so as the Texas Tribune reported, it both “baffled and enraged” his critics to see him come out nearly unscathed. (Some legal experts called it “rare” to see a felony of this nature prosecuted.)

Did Talarico say that the border should have a “welcome mat” for immigrants?

Yes, but Talarico’s comments have been taken wildly out of context. He’s been asked about his views on the border many times in many places, including before his Senate campaign, and his full commentary paints a different picture. When talking about immigration with Politico’s Dasha Burns last year, for example, Talarico said:

We should have a giant welcome mat out front, and we should have a lock on the door. Those two things are not mutually exclusive. You have a right to know who’s coming into your home and providing that hospitality.

Republicans love to slice and dice Democrats’ words, but this might be the most egregious example of the year.

Was Paxton impeached for corruption?

Yes. By the end of 2023, Paxton faced a whopping 20 articles of impeachment. Per the AP, they ranged from bribery to abuse of public trust; most of them related to Paxton using his office to benefit a wealthy donor named Nate Paul. One article alleged that Paxton asked his office to write an opinion protecting Paul’s properties from being sold in foreclosure and then tried to cover it up.

State legislators in the House voted to impeach Paxton by an overwhelming 121-23, including 61 Democrats and 60 Republicans. He hung on after his trial in the Senate thanks to far-right Republicans, but it was a close call: on most of the charges, including the most serious, he was acquitted 16-14 (with 21 votes needed).

What about Talarico’s comments on “whiteness” and “toxic masculinity”?

One anti-Talarico ad also points to comments he made about “whiteness” and “toxic masculinity,” but here again, the full answer is much less ‘woke’ than the ad implies. During an appearance on an evangelical podcast in 2024, Talarico said this about, in his words, the “privilege” of white men like him:

[There’s] no need to sit and cry over your ‘whiteness’ or your ‘masculinity.’ Use it. Use it to do something. Let’s be productive.

He referred again to his ‘privilege’ minutes later, but used it in a different context: here, he discussed his “religious privilege,” saying he felt a responsibility to speak out against the “perversion of our faith.”

Did Paxton’s wife divorce him for cheating?

Talk of Paxton’s adultery has been flying around in Texas for years. It was even part of the 2023 impeachment trial, with staffers testifying that Paxton’s affair with an employee of Nate Paul’s “took a toll” on employees who had to work odd hours. At the time, Paxton’s lawyer tried to argue it was irrelevant, saying, “If we impeached everyone in Austin who had an affair, we’d be impeaching people for the next 100 years.”

Less than two years later, Angela Paxton, who is a State Senator in Texas, filed for divorce. She said in a statement that she was doing so on “biblical grounds” and “in light of recent discoveries,” adding on X that marriage is a sacred covenant. A divorce petition included adultery as one of the grounds for the split. Paxton himself denied the allegations in his own filing.

Unless an agreement is reached, a public divorce trial between them begins in late June.

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One candidate who, by his own admission, has said some “cringey” things about social issues (or in some cases, has been taken completely out of context). The other has a securities fraud indictment, was impeached on corruption, and has been accused of cheating. We’ll leave you to do the math.