Democrat James Talarico’s campaign has new marching orders for supportive super PACs during the final days of Texas’ Senate race: highlight Republicans who can’t stand Ken Paxton, his opponent.
And pro-Talarico PAC Lone Star Rising appeared to quickly heed the Talarico campaign’s request: On Tuesday, it ran an online advertisement featuring a woman named Erin, who identified herself as a longtime Republican that’s previously voted for President Donald Trump and Paxton.
“I didn’t care for [Paxton] personally, but I figured that didn’t matter. I was wrong,” Erin says in the ad. “Being Republican means being tough on crime. Ken Paxton offered a child sex abuser with ties to his rich friends one day in jail.”
“As a Republican, that makes me sick,” she continues. “As a mom, I’ll never get past it.”
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Lone Star Rising appears to have taken its cue from an Oct. 13 message Talarico’s campaign posted on its “What Voters Need to Know About James” web page. It included directions to highlight the statement: “Ken Paxton’s corruption led to an admitted pedophile being offered one day in jail.”
The message also suggested two groups in particular to target — “Non-MAGA Republicans” and independents. Those voters, the campaign wrote, “need to hear on digital, streaming and radio that Ken Paxton is too corrupt, even for life-long Republicans and Trump voters.”
For several months, the Talarico campaign has used this page to share preferred talking points that outside political groups may use in their own advertising — a practice known as “red-boxing” — without illegally coordinating with Talarico.
Along with “ordinary Republican voters,” the Talarico campaign wrote on the web page that conservative-leaning Texans should hear from “current and former GOP elected officials.”
The Talarico campaign specifically names Sen. John Cornyn, the outgoing Texas Republican Paxton narrowly defeated in their May runoff, and former Republican Rep. Louie Gohmert of Texas. It also names David Maxwell, who blew the whistle on Paxton for allegedly using his office to help a donor and has since endorsed Talarico.
The PAC, Lone Star Rising, did not respond to a request for comment. Lone Star Rising similarly ran ads mirroring the campaign’s public guidance earlier this year.
The Talarico campaign did not respond to The Washington Sun’s request for comment.
Throughout the campaign, Talarico has focused on billionaires imposing their will on elections as he seeks to become the first Democrat elected in Texas to statewide office in more than 30 years. At a CNN town hall last week, Talarico again touted his rejection of corporate PACs, saying that they should be banned.
While not illegal, campaign finance watchdogs have questioned the ethics of candidates releasing talking points via “red-boxing.” Super PACs, legally, cannot directly coordinate with candidates.
“Red-boxing” has become increasingly prevalent, especially this cycle among Democrats. During the 2024 election, more than 200 federal campaigns used the tactic, according to the Campaign Legal Center.
“James Talarico spent his entire campaign lecturing Texans about dark money and refusing corporate PAC dollars,” Paxton campaign spokesperson Madison Cercy told The Sun. “Now he’s posting talking points on his own website so super PACs know exactly what to say for him.”
Cercy also highlighted Reid Hoffman, a co-founder of LinkedIn who is financially backing Lone Star Rising. Hoffman has contributed $11.5 million to the group’s efforts as of Sept. 30, according to Federal Election Commission filings.
Paxton repeatedly questioned Cornyn’s conservative bona fides during their Republican primary earlier this year, eventually nabbing the president’s endorsement. Since then, Cornyn has not endorsed Paxton and has repeatedly sniped at him, although he’s said he’ll support the Republican ticket in Texas.
Cornyn is “clearly not helping,” Paxton said at a fundraiser in September, according to audio obtained by CNN. “He wants me to lose.”
Cornyn’s office did not respond to a request for comment on the Talarico campaign seemingly elevating the senator in the final stretch of the campaign.
Trump wrote on Truth Social last week that Cornyn and GOP strategist Karl Rove were sabotaging Paxton.
“If Ken Paxton loses, it will be because of WEAK and INEFFECTIVE Political Hacks like John Cornyn and Karl Rove, who have ineffectively opposed me for my entire political career,” Trump said on his social media platform.
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