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James Talarico challenges Ken Paxton to 3 televised Texas Senate debates

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FOX 7 Austin
Texas Politics
Published July 19, 2026 6:04 PM CDT
Published July 19, 2026 6:04 PM CDT
State Representative James Talarico, a Democrat from Texas and US Senate candidate, speaks during a Texas primary election night event at Emo's Austin in Austin, Texas, US, on Wednesday, March 4, 2026. The biggest contest of the 2026 midterm election cycle so far is underway, with voters in Texas making their choices in a statewide primary Tuesday that could determine whether Democrats have a shot at narrowing the gap with Republicans in the US Senate come November. Photographer: Jordan Vonderhaar/Bloomberg via Getty Images article

State Representative James Talarico, a Democrat from Texas and US Senate candidate, speaks during a Texas primary election night event at Emo's Austin in Austin, Texas, US, on Wednesday, March 4, 2026. The biggest contest of the 2026 midterm election (Getty Images)

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The Brief

    • Democratic U.S. Senate candidate James Talarico has challenged Republican incumbent Ken Paxton to three televised debates hosted by major Texas media networks.
    • Talarico claims Paxton has avoided public debates for over a decade and demands he answer questions regarding his policies, personal finances, and past legal scandals.
    • Paxton has not yet publicly responded to the debate invitations or the specific political allegations raised by the Talarico campaign.

AUSTIN, Texas - Democratic U.S. Senate candidate James Talarico challenged Republican Attorney General Ken Paxton to participate in three televised debates.

He accuses his opponent of avoiding public scrutiny and calling on him to accept invitations from three Texas media organizations.

Talarico challenges Ken Paxton to Texas Senate debates

Ken Paxton (left) and James Talarico (Getty Images)

Local perspective:

In a press release sent by James Talarico, he says he has accepted debate invitations from Nextstar Media Group, KXAN News in Austin, NBC News in Hearst and WFAA/TEGNA. He urges Republican senate candidate Ken Paxton to accept the invitations as well.

"Ken Paxton has not debated a political opponent in more than a decade," Talarico said in a statement. "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, Texas attorney general and Republican US Senate candidate, during a Texas primary election night event in Dallas, Texas, US, on Tuesday, March 3, 2026. US Senator John Cornyn and Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton are heading for a runoff

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Dig deeper:

In a recent interview, Talarico also said Paxton should answer questions about his personal finances, his policies as attorney general, his 2023 impeachment and a recent plea agreement involving Adam Hoffman, whom Talarico described as an admitted child predator. Talarico accused Paxton of giving Hoffman an "Epstein-style sweetheart deal" and questioned whether Paxton had made agreements with two billionaire political donors during his impeachment proceedings.

Legal scandals and policy issues

What's next:

Paxton has not publicly responded to Talarico's debate challenge, or the allegations contained in Thursday's statement. FOX has reached out to Paxton's team for comment and is awaiting a response.

The three media organizations have invited both candidates to participate in statewide televised debates, according to the Talarico campaign.

The Source: Information in this article was provided by Talarico Press.

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