Democratic Texas Senate candidate James Talarico announced three debate dates on Wednesday, July 29, challenging Republican Ken Paxton to face him on live television ahead of the November 3 general election. The debates are scheduled for September 22 in the Rio Grande Valley, October 6 in Dallas, and October 13 in Austin, each hosted by major Texas media outlets.
Talarico accepted invitations from NBC/Telemundo/Hearst Television, WFAA/TEGNA, and KXAN/Nexstar to participate in the televised forums. “Debate times and locations have been set. I’ve accepted,” Talarico said in a statement. “We’ll see if Ken Paxton chooses to participate.”
Paxton’s campaign has not yet committed to any of the three debates. A campaign adviser, Nick Maddux, said the Texas attorney general remains willing to debate but raised concerns about fairness and format, stating that “Texans deserve a fair side-by-side comparison, not political theater.” The campaign indicated it is close to reaching an agreement with a news organization on debate details and expects an announcement soon.
Talarico, a state representative and former public school teacher, won the Democratic primary on March 3, 2026, defeating U.S. Representative Jasmine Crockett with 52.4% of the vote. His campaign has raised $40.3 million as of July 2026, positioning him as a competitive challenger in a state where Democrats have not won a statewide election in over 30 years.
Recent polling shows Talarico with a narrow lead. A Texas Public Opinion Research poll released July 28 found Talarico at 45% and Paxton at 40%, a five-point margin outside the survey’s margin of error. The same poll showed Talarico leading among independents 43% to 23%, with 29% undecided, and holding an advantage among self-described moderates.
Talarico has criticized Paxton for avoiding public scrutiny. Last week, Paxton held a news conference where he took questions from reporters but walked out after they asked about his voting record and property holdings. “We’ll see if Ken Paxton has the courage to show up, or if he’ll run away like usual,” Talarico said in response to the debate announcement.
Sources
- USA Today — Talarico’s announcement of three debate dates, Paxton campaign’s response, and polling data
- KXAN — Confirmation of debate schedule and Talarico’s challenge to Paxton
- Ballotpedia — Talarico’s primary victory margin and campaign fundraising total
- Texas Public Opinion Research — July 28 polling showing Talarico leading Paxton 45% to 40%
