Paxton's ex-defense lawyer backs Democrat Talarico in Texas race
Why it matters: The endorsement undercuts Paxton's corruption-case defenses as Democrats target a rare statewide pickup in Texas.
A lawyer who spent nearly a decade defending Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has endorsed Democratic U.S. Senate candidate James Talarico instead of his former client. Houston attorney Dan Cogdell, who helped defend Paxton in his 2023 impeachment trial, said Paxton has become too focused on pleasing President Donald Trump rather than addressing Texas issues such as education and health care. Paxton defeated Sen. John Cornyn in last month's Republican primary runoff after Trump backed him late in the race. Talarico has tried to make Paxton's long-running legal troubles a central issue as Democrats look for a difficult but high-profile Senate pickup in November.