Republican Sen. John Kennedy of Louisiana would not say whether Texas Republican Senate nominee Ken Paxton has the “character to serve,” when pressed by NBC News’ Kristen Welker on Meet the Press.
What Kennedy said on NBC
Asked if Paxton has the “character to serve as a U.S. senator,” Kennedy replied, “That’s the decision of the people of Texas. I don’t know Ken Paxton. I don’t know Mr. Talarico.” When Welker pressed again, Kennedy said, “As best I can tell, the race is an unpopularity contest.”
Kennedy added that he ultimately thinks Paxton will win because of Texas’ Republican lean, but said the race is “going to be very, very close.”
How the Texas race is being framed
Welker described the contest between Republican Ken Paxton and Democrat James Talarico as one of the most hotly contested and expensive Senate races. The nonpartisan Cook Political Report rates the race a toss-up. A late September New York Times/Siena poll cited in the source material showed Talarico leading 51% to 46%.
Context on the candidates
The source notes Paxton has faced corruption allegations that led to his 2023 impeachment and acquittal, and that he has acknowledged an extramarital affair. His estranged wife, Texas state Sen. Angela Paxton, filed for divorce in July citing “biblical grounds,” and later appeared in a campaign ad urging votes for “the Republican ticket,” without naming him.
Talarico has drawn attention for past remarks. In 2021, during a floor speech opposing a Republican bill on girls’ sports, he said, “God is non-binary.” In a 2023 podcast interview, he said he loved “trans children.”
Paxton, contrasting himself with Talarico’s past stances in a June interview with the Daily Caller News Foundation, called them “weird” and said, “I think if you look at the scripture it’s pretty clear God is not ‘nonbinary.’ He is expressed in three forms in the trinity, and not as James Talarico is suggesting.”
The bottom line
Kennedy declined to vouch for Paxton’s “character” on national TV while predicting a tight finish in a race Cook rates a toss-up and a late-September NYT/Siena poll had narrowly favoring Talarico.
