{"id":1810,"date":"2026-09-04T05:08:52","date_gmt":"2026-09-04T05:08:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nationallogisticspost.com\/?p=1810"},"modified":"2026-09-04T05:08:52","modified_gmt":"2026-09-04T05:08:52","slug":"everything-is-bigger-in-texas-including-the-senate-stakes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nationallogisticspost.com\/?p=1810","title":{"rendered":"Everything Is Bigger in Texas \u2014 Including the Senate Stakes"},"content":{"rendered":"
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T<\/span>he race for control of the Senate next January is a dead heat. Conventional wisdom suggests the contests in swingy states like Michigan, Ohio, North Carolina and Georgia could prove decisive. And they might.<\/p>\n

Read more Trump Victim of Own Success on Immigration<\/a><\/p>\n

But it\u2019s possible that the fate of the chamber known as the \u201cworld\u2019s greatest deliberative body\u201d will come down to a state not usually considered all that swingy: Texas. Everything is always bigger in Texas, and that now includes the stakes for control of the Senate.<\/p>\n

For over a decade, Democrats have touted the purported inevitability of Texas turning blue. \u201cDemographics is destiny,\u201d Democrats bellowed, taunting Republicans by pointing to the state\u2019s burgeoning Hispanic population.<\/p>\n

That argument seemed to die in 2020, when President Donald Trump made historic gains in Texas\u2019s heavily Hispanic Rio Grande Valley region. And if the triumphalist chest-thumping might have died in 2020, then it really<\/em> died in 2024, when Trump won about one-fifth of Black men and nearly half of all Hispanics nationally.<\/p>\n

What about now?<\/p>\n

The polling average in the Lone Star State\u2019s Senate showdown shows a marginal lead for Democratic challenger James Talarico, the far-left state representative. Talarico is running against Ken Paxton, the controversial state attorney general who trounced incumbent John Cornyn in the spring GOP primary runoff after a Trump endorsement.\u00a0(RELATED: John Cornyn Is Owed No Revenge at the Expense of His Own Party)<\/strong><\/p>\n

It is easy to dismiss the Talarico threat as a false alarm. I lived in Texas in 2018, when Lone Star Democrats similarly felt confident then-Congressman Beto O\u2019Rourke would defeat the incumbent GOP senator, Ted Cruz. That didn\u2019t happen. In a similar tough midterm cycle during a Trump presidency, Cruz narrowly prevailed.<\/p>\n

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Paxton suffers from softer support within the GOP, whereas Democrats are more unified in their support for the joker\u2026<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n

But what if this time is<\/em> different? Talarico might not win. In fact, I don\u2019t think he will. But it is crucial to understand how to best prevent a leftist, \u201cChristian\u201d-cosplaying caricature like Talarico, who argues that the Annunciation justifies abortion, from getting a job promotion to Washington.\u00a0(RELATED: James Talarico: The Wolf in Sunday\u2019s Clothing)<\/strong><\/p>\n

Many polls in Texas tell a similar story: Paxton suffers from softer support within the GOP, whereas Democrats are more unified in their support for the joker who has called capitalism \u201coppressive,\u201d predicted the oil and gas industry is \u201cnot gonna last,\u201d and has called for Americans to pare back \u201cmeat consumption.\u201d<\/p>\n

Yes, that\u2019s right: The guy taking a sledgehammer to the oil and gas and cattle industries is seeking statewide office in Texas.<\/em><\/p>\n

Read more Reagan and Gorbachev at the Brink at Reykjavik<\/a><\/p>\n

But Paxton needs to increase his support among Texas Republicans. My former state is a massive and complicated one. Texas is still in many ways culturally conservative, but it is also economically vibrant and home to dozens of Fortune 500 companies. Its metropolises have sprawling suburbs, full of moms who care more about pocketbooks and safety than the culture war.\u00a0(RELATED: Advice for Ken Paxton)<\/strong><\/p>\n

And Paxton has undeniable baggage. He cheated on his wife, state Sen. Angela Paxton, who filed for divorce last year. In 2020, Paxton\u2019s top legal deputy, Jeff Mateer, reported him to the FBI over concerns of corruption and abuse of office. Just this summer, Paxton showed dubious judgment while vacationing in London \u2014 over July Fourth, no less \u2014 with a paramour. His divorce isn\u2019t final yet.<\/p>\n

Warts and all, Paxton was still the superior choice in the GOP Senate primary over Cornyn, a flaccid empty suit whose stances on salient issues like gun rights were long far out of step with Texas conservatives. Moreover, for better or worse, ethical qualms about candidates can only register so much in the era of Trump.<\/p>\n

The way to shore up Paxton\u2019s support within his own party isn\u2019t to relitigate the GOP primary. And it certainly isn\u2019t to outright dismiss Paxton\u2019s ethical issues, either. Rather, the path forward is a simple, time-tested one: Expose the genuinely radical nature of Talarico.<\/p>\n

Talarico didn\u2019t stop his Christian sermonizing by invoking Jesus\u2019 conception to justify abortion \u2014 a gruesome act he loves so much that he has called for a de facto federal abortion service. In 2021, Talarico pledged his loyalty to the transgender cause by asserting, on the Texas House floor, that God Himself is \u201cnonbinary.\u201d Despite running for Senate in the most prominent border state, Talarico has said that America\u2019s southern border \u201cshould be like our front porch.\u201d A former teacher, he once said his \u201cmost patriotic\u201d students were the illegal alien ones. Talarico has referred to the American flag as a \u201ccomplicated symbol.\u201d<\/p>\n

Exposing that<\/em> is Paxton\u2019s path to victory. Some financial support from the well-heeled MAGA Inc. super PAC wouldn\u2019t hurt, either.<\/p>\n

So, pound the airwaves with relentless negative ads. That\u2019s not pretty, but this isn\u2019t Hollywood or Broadway. This is Texas.<\/p>\n

READ MORE from Josh Hammer:<\/strong><\/p>\n

Clarence Thomas Played the Long Game. He Won.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Florida Is the New Ground Zero for Both Political Parties\u2019 Civil Wars<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Electoral Integrity Issue Isn\u2019t Israel \u2014 It\u2019s Islam<\/strong><\/p>\n

To find out more about Josh Hammer and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at<\/em> www.creators.com.<\/strong>
\nCOPYRIGHT 2026\u00a0CREATORS.COM<\/p>\n

Read more The Spectacle Ep. 462: Michigan AG Dana Nessel Invokes Queen Esther To Elect Abdul El-Sayed<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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