Ken Paxton mocks Democratic opponent James Talarico over campaign absence

Texas Republican Senate nominee Ken Paxton mocked his Democratic opponent, James Talarico, on Thursday by sharing missing persons flyers featuring Talarico's image. According to the Washington Examiner, the posters appeared across Texas, including outside Kyle Field at Texas A&M University in College Station, as well as in Fort Worth and Dallas. The Washington Examiner said the mock flyers followed reports that Talarico had canceled two campaign events after coming down with the flu, as FTMQ News reported earlier. [1][16]

Fox News reported that Paxton led a crowd in a chant asking where Talarico was during a campaign event. The mocking campaign push comes as President Donald Trump visited Texas to support Paxton, though the event in San Antonio was repeatedly interrupted by protesters, according to washingtonexaminer.com. CNN reported that Trump maintained he has no regrets about endorsing Paxton for the United States Senate despite recent campaign leaks. [2][5][6][17]

Audio recordings leaked from Paxton's campaign have drawn scrutiny in recent days. MSNBC and The Texas Tribune both reported on a fourth leaked recording in which Paxton suggested cutting federal benefit programs to address the national deficit, telling an audience that Americans would have to suck it up. The Texas Tribune also reported that Paxton privately attributed campaign challenges to the war in Iran and rising gas prices. [3][4]

Paxton has served as the 51st attorney general of Texas since 2015, having previously served in the Texas House of Representatives and the Texas Senate. Recent polling from UMass Lowell shows Paxton and Talarico tied in the Texas Senate race as both parties compete heavily ahead of the election. [11][12][15]