The Texas Senate Race Gets Messy: Talarico Hits Paxton Over a China Trip

The Texas Senate race just went from heated to downright messy.

On Sept. 22, Democrat James Talarico’s campaign dropped a new digital ad that turns the tables on Republican Ken Paxton — accusing the attorney general of the very thing Paxton’s own ads have been hammering Talarico over: cozying up to China.

The ad alleges Paxton took a secretive, all-expenses-paid luxury trip to China to meet with Communist Party officials — a trip his own staffers warned him against — and then collected $40,000 from China-linked real estate developers buying up Texas land. The claims are rooted in reporting by the Houston Chronicle, which found that several Chinese real estate investors donated to Paxton’s Senate campaign, each working for “companies that facilitate the exact kind of Chinese investments he has criticized,” according to the El Paso Times. A separate Hearst Newspapers review of campaign finance records added that two of the donors previously worked at Modern Land, a Chinese real estate development company with its own Chinese Communist Party branch.

Talarico’s team is not subtle about the punchline. Paxton has spent weeks accusing Talarico of selling Texas out to China, and the new ad frames the attorney general as the one with the China problem. “There’s a reason Republicans call him ‘Commie Ken,'” Talarico spokesman JT Ennis said in a statement quoted by CNN, calling Paxton “the only candidate in this race that has cozied up to the Chinese Communist Party.”

How we got here

This didn’t come out of nowhere. Paxton’s side fired first on the China front, running ads accusing Talarico of voting to let China buy Texas land — a reference to SB 17, a 2023 bill Talarico voted against. Talarico says he opposed the bill not because of its China provisions, but because of language he felt gave the governor too much power over who can buy property in Texas, warning it could be used to discriminate against immigrants.

Earlier in the same week, Paxton launched a separate ad going after Talarico over his comments about a prominent Texas drag queen, per the El Paso Times — a sign of just how personal and scattershot this race is getting.

So how has Paxton responded to the China attack? So far, he hasn’t — at least not directly. The El Paso Times reports Paxton “has so far not responded to Talarico’s attacks over his connections to China.” When Hearst Newspapers asked about the specific donations, his campaign didn’t address them, instead pointing to his broader record and saying he’s spent “more than a decade fighting the Chinese Communist Party’s influence… including suing CCP-aligned companies.”

Meanwhile, the money race is telling its own story. The main super PAC backing Talarico, Lone Star Rising, has unveiled its first general-election ads — including one branding Paxton “the most corrupt politician in Texas” — as part of an initial seven-figure buy running statewide on streaming and digital platforms, according to CNN. And Paxton’s own campaign fundraising has been dwarfed by Talarico’s numbers, the Washington Examiner reports. Talarico has also challenged Paxton to three televised debates; Paxton has yet to say whether he’ll show up.

The bigger signal: Cook just moved a Houston House race

The Senate slugfest isn’t the only sign Texas Republicans are feeling the heat. On Friday, the Cook Political Report shifted 15 House races toward Democrats — including three in Texas.

The one closest to home: Texas’ 9th Congressional District, an open Houston-area seat, moved from “Solid Republican” to “Likely Republican.” Republican Alex Mealer, an Army veteran, faces Democrat Leticia Gutierrez in a district Donald Trump carried by 20 points in 2024. Cook’s analysts noted Republicans aren’t taking it for granted — a super PAC funded by MAGA Inc. is already sending direct mail to shore up Mealer, per USA Today.

Cook also moved Rep. Monica De La Cruz’s south Texas seat from “Lean Republican” to “Toss Up,” and the open TX-35 seat from “Likely Republican” to “Lean Republican.” Cook House analyst Erin Covey now projects Democrats gaining somewhere between five and 15 House seats; Democrats need a net gain of four to take the chamber. Republicans are pouring money into districts they once considered safe — about $2 million in texts, mail, and digital ads since Sept. 5 just to defend De La Cruz’s seat, which Trump won by 18 points, Reuters reports.

What’s actually at stake for Texas families

Strip away the attack ads, and here’s what Nov. 3 decides. The Senate winner replaces U.S. Sen. John Cornyn in Washington — one of the most consequential seats on the ballot. And while both campaigns are screaming about China, at least one Republican operative privately called the China line the party’s “eighth best issue” in a race dominated by affordability concerns.

That’s the part worth sitting with. Texas families are deciding this election on rent, groceries, insurance premiums, and whether their kids’ schools have what they need — not on who took a fancier trip to Beijing. The China-trip ad war is great television. The affordability crisis is real life.

Early voting is weeks away. Between now and Nov. 3, expect more ads, more mud, and more noise. The question for Texas voters is simple: which candidate is talking about your bills — and which one is just trying to change the subject?