James Talarico challenged Ken Paxton to debates. Here's the AG's response

Eleanor Dearman, Fort Worth Star-Telegram on Jul 16, 2026

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Democrat James Talarico and Republican Ken Paxton are expected to face each other in a debate, as they vie to represent Texas in the U.S. Senate.

The development in the high-profile statewide race comes after Talarico on Thursday challenged Ken Paxton to three televised debates. Paxton’s campaign has responded that the Texas attorney general will debate his Nov. 3 foe, who represents the Austin area in the Texas House of Representatives.

Three media groups, the including the Star-Telegram’s media partner WFAA, have formally invited the Senate candidates to debate, according to Talarico’s campaign. Talarico has accepted the invitations, his campaign said.

“Ken Paxton won’t answer the public’s questions because he’s not a public servant — he’s a puppet,” Talarico said in a statement. “But I want him to prove me wrong. I’m challenging Ken Paxton to three televised debates. I’ll be on that debate stage because I answer to the people of Texas. Ken Paxton answers to his billionaire mega-donors. We’ll see if they let him show up.”

Paxton’s campaign said the attorney general will debate Talarico.

“Of course we are going to debate James Talarico, and we look forward to engaging with potential debate hosts,” Paxton’s senior adviser Nick Maddux said in a statement.

He described Talarico as a “dangerous radical whose record and agenda is so toxic and extreme that he has to hide it behind carefully scripted lies.

“We look forward to voters getting to learn about the real James Talarico,” Maddux said.

The Star-Telegram is seeking clarification from the campaign on which debates Paxton plans to participate in and whether they’ll be televised.

“I think it’s great,” Talarico told the Star-Telegram, when asked about Paxton reportedly agreeing to debate. “We challenged Ken Paxton this morning to three televised debates, and I hope he accepts all three so that he can answer questions directly from Texans. I think a lot of Texans have really deep concerns about Ken Paxton’s record of corruption, and I’m glad that he’s agreed to answer those questions in a public, televised debate.”