by WorldTribune Staff, November 1, 2026 — Real World News
Republican U.S. Senate candidate and Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton said his Senate race against Democrat James Talarico could be a critical turning point for the nation. Paxton urged supporters to turn out with the message: “If we lose Texas, we lose America”.
Speaking at late-campaign rallies in locations like Houston and Fort Worth, Paxton stressed that a high voter turnout is essential to hold the seat and maintain Republican control of the Senate.
Texas serves as the backbone of the “common-sense revolution” and conservative values, Paxton said, telling crowds that losing the state would jeopardize broader national policies on the economy, energy, and border security.
Paxton characterized Talarico as a leftist whose platform would advance federal agendas led by figures like Chuck Schumer, while warning against potential state or federal tax increases.
National and state political organizations have heavily invested in the contest as polls treat the traditionally Republican-leaning state as highly competitive.
Paxton told Breitbart News Saturday: “I would say we are in a tie ball game. It is a tight race, and if we do not execute, if Republicans do not take this serious, if they sit back and say, ‘Oh, Texas is always Republican,’ this is one of those years you can’t do that.”
When Paxton suggested Talarico’s leftist platform is better suited for California, Talarico responded: “What makes a Texan is not in the boots or in the truck; it is deep in the heart.” He added that anyone can be a Texan regardless of whether they are an eighth-generation native or a transplant.
Paxton accused Talarico of reversing previous positions on the oil and gas industry, border security, law enforcement, transgender issues, and girls’ sports to appeal to general election voters.
“The key has been to try to tell people the truth about what he actually believes, what he actually votes for, what he actually has said over the last 10 years,” Paxton explained. “Because this guy literally has changed every single position, not just a little bit, but 180 degrees to my position.”
The Breitbart interview also addressed Talarico’s use of religious messaging, with Paxton criticizing several statements he attributed to the Democrat about Christianity, gender, and displaying the Ten Commandments in public schools.
“If you actually listen to him, and I think just people maybe glaze over what he’s actually saying because he wraps it up in a Christian wrapper, but there’s nothing Christian about what he actually believes,” Paxton asserted.
As the interview concluded, Paxton compared the election to a tied football game in its final moments, emphasizing the importance of Republican turnout for securing a victory.
“We’re tied. We’ve got the ball, and if we execute, if our people actually take this seriously and they understand the difference between a Marxist, somebody who believes in free markets, they understand the difference between somebody that is a constitutional conservative versus somebody that is an anti-constitutional guy, then we will win the game,” Paxton said.
“We’re in a fight to save this state, save this country, and if we don’t take it seriously, we are going to lose it,” Paxton concluded. “And if we lose Texas, we lose America.”
