The James Talarico Senate campaign in Texas just rolled out one of its most eye-catching endorsements yet — a decorated Texas Ranger who once served as state Attorney General Ken Paxton's director of law enforcement.
The huge development, which comes as Talarico's Democratic campaign seeks to be the first to win Texas in over 30 years, was revealed in a brief political ad on Tuesday.
"This is Ken Paxton, and this is Ken Paxton firing an honest Texas Ranger," said the ad. Here's what happened. "David Maxwell spent five decades in law enforcement and was inducted into the Texas Ranger Hall of Fame. The best of the best. Let's just say he knows a bad guy when he sees one. So when he saw his boss, Ken Paxton, trading favors with a convicted felon, he had to speak up" — a reference to Paxton's deal with real estate developer Nate Paul.
"He reported Ken Paxton to the FBI and Ken Paxton fired him for it," the ad continued. "Ranger Maxwell testified in Ken Paxton's impeachment trial ... Ken Paxton was impeached by his own party. But Ranger Maxwell isn't done speaking up against bad guys."
"My name is David Maxwell," the ranger said, concluding the commercial. "Ken Paxton ended my five-decade career because I blew the whistle on his corruption. I am supporting James Talarico for the U.S. Senate ... He's one of the good guys."
Paxton, who has been dogged by allegations of public corruption and marital infidelity, has had to face a number of humiliating defections from his own party since the campaign began; another came when Talarico hired Jacob Smith, a longtime Republican operative who worked for outgoing Sen. John Cornyn, to advise his campaign.
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