Republican Senate candidate Ken Paxton has yet to debate his Democratic opponent despite multiple invitations to do so, and on Friday, he was nudged again with a stinging voicemail left by Democratic Senate nominee James Talarico.
“Hey Ken, it’s James. I’m calling to invite you to a debate on Fox News. Texans start voting in less than a month, and they deserve to hear from both of us before they do. I’ve accepted four local TV debates, but we haven’t heard from you, and we’re running out of time,” Talarico can be heard saying in a video published Friday of him leaving Paxton a voicemail.
“So if Fox News is where you’ll be most comfortable, I’ll be there because I think it’s that important. Bret Baier can moderate, we can both take questions, and Texans can hear from us directly. So give me a call back, and I look forward to hearing from you.”
Paxton agreed to debate Talarico in July, but in the months since, he has yet to commit himself to any debates. Paxton was invited to debate Talarico by WFAA and CNN, both of which Talarico accepted.
Amid his sinking electoral prospects, however, Paxton remains silent on whether he’d face his opponent on the debate stage, with his own senior campaign adviser, Nick Maddux, pouring cold water on the idea earlier this month.
“No Texan wants to watch James Talarico and two of his fellow far-left activists posing as moderators spew left-wing talking points in a ‘debate,’ or what they would try to turn into a [Chinese Communist Party]-style struggle session,” Maddux said, according to CBS-11 reporter Jack Fink.
A new poll has put Talarico ahead of Paxton in the Senate race, with Republican operatives expected to spend as much as $200 million to help carry the Texas attorney general over the finish line.
A controversial figure, Paxton faced impeachment as attorney general related to accusations of bribery and abuse of public trust, though he ultimately was acquitted of 16 articles of impeachment, with the remaining four dismissed.
Ken Paxton keeps dodging debates.
So I called his cell to invite him to a debate on Fox News.
He didn’t pick up. pic.twitter.com/EnaNREE6pH
— James Talarico (@jamestalarico) September 25, 2026