The silence from Texas GOP Senate nominee Ken Paxton about a Fox News debate offer exposes that he's gripped by fear, according to an analyst.
In a Tuesday episode on his YouTube channel, progressive political commentator Brian Tyler Cohen made the case after a Fox News spokesperson told HuffPost the network would host a debate between Paxton and Democrat James Talarico. Cohen said, "Ken Paxton's already bad month just got much worse."
"Debates best serve voters and the democratic process when both candidates participate, and voters have the opportunity to compare positions on the issues," the Fox News spokesperson said, per Cohen. "We will move forward with the debate if both candidates commit to appearing."
Talarico has accepted, but Cohen said "it has been crickets from Paxton's campaign," even after Talarico left the Texas attorney general a voicemail.
"I've accepted four local TV debates, but we haven't heard from you, and we're running out of time," Talarico said in the message. "So, if Fox News is where you'll be most comfortable, I'll be there because I think it's that important."
Cohen said the silence spoke for itself.
"Do you realize how afraid you must be of a debate with James Talarico? That you would rather let Talarico create viral content out of your unwillingness, your abject fear of showing up, than to simply get on the stage?" Cohen said.
"Granted, it's no surprise that Ken Paxton would rather hide from the voters than be forced to answer for his litany of crimes and corruptions," Cohen added.
Cohen ran through Paxton's 2015 felony securities fraud indictment, his 2023 impeachment by the "Republican controlled Texas House" and allegations that he voted in six elections from a Collin County address where he no longer lives. Cohen said Paxton "is now accused of doing the exact thing he predicated his brand on fighting against."
Cohen also played a Fox News segment in which a commentator told Paxton to "get out of your hole" and warned that "if you lose this seat for Republicans in Texas, you should seek asylum in Mexico."
"Fox lives in a reality of its own creation," Cohen said. "They have zero shame about faking out their own audience on a daily basis if they need to."
He then showed Paxton cutting off reporters at a press event when asked about his properties and his voting record, calling him "always ready to throw punches but physically incapable of taking them."
"The only thing worse than him being completely MIA on the campaign trail is him actually being present on the campaign trail," Cohen said.