Paxton looks to seal the deal with Houston-area voters, saying control of U.S. Senate is at stake

Houston Public Media ^ | October 20, 2026 | Andrew Schneider

[Miami Rebel]

Republican Texas Attorney General and U.S. Senate candidate Ken Paxton took his campaign through the Houston area on Tuesday, with stops in Conroe and Sugar Land. Voters packed an event space at The Table at Madeley in Conroe to hear Paxton speak.

Paxton used nearly 20 minutes on stage to outline his plan to fight rising prices and to stress his record as attorney general.

"When [President] Joe Biden came for the Lone Star State, I went after him. I took him to court and sued him 107 times in four years, and I won," Paxton said. "Biden declared war on Texas energy, so I hauled him into court. And that’s one of the reasons that President Trump said that I was the most effective attorney general in the country."

Sign up for the Hello, Houston! daily newsletter to get local reports like this delivered directly to your inbox. Paxton, speaking after U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright, stressed his support for President Donald Trump. The Conroe event followed several leaked recordings of Paxton, one of which included Paxton speculating that Trump's appearance at the Republican Party's September midterm convention in Dallas might have hurt Paxton's polling numbers.

Paxton also spent much of his speech attacking his Democratic opponent, state Rep. James Talarico, stating that control of the U.S. Senate is at stake in the Texas contest.

"A vote for James Talarico is not just a vote for his radical agenda. I wish it was that simple. It’s a vote for a guy named Chuck Schumer to run the Senate," Paxton said. "It’s a vote for every dangerous idea that Democrats across the country are putting forward right now."

Talarico will make his own campaign swing through the Houston area on Wednesday, with stops in Houston and Fort Bend County. Most polling shows the contest between Paxton and Talarico is a statistical dead heat.

Paxton supporters at the event named a variety of reasons why they either have already voted for Paxton or why they intend to do so. Thomas Howell, a retired U.S. Army veteran, said he liked the attorney general's economic proposals.

"I like the fact that he did the Trump thing with no tax on the tips and no tax on overtime," Howell said. "It seemed like it would be a way to put money back into the economy."

Sherrilyn Todero, retired from the legal field, cited the 2023 impeachment and acquittal of Paxton as a reason to support the attorney general, saying it was a sign Paxton was upsetting the right people.

"If he does certain things that are good, they can’t stand it," Todero said. "So, I think he’s done a lot of good things for the state, and I know he’s not afraid to prosecute anyone and go after the bad people."

Erika Johnson, a personal assistant and student, gave a similar reason, focusing specifically on Paxton's record of combatting human trafficking.

"I do have a friend who was a victim of that, and with [Paxton’s] initiative whenever he first became attorney general, that was really big on my heart," Johnson said.

For some, like retired petroleum engineer Mark Petrichuk, the decision was as simple as the fact that Paxton is not Talarico.

“The Affordable Care Act was horrible, and it’s practically ruined my kids,” Petrichuk said. “You know, they have to scramble every year to get good health insurance.”

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TOPICS: Miscellaneous
KEYWORDS: paxton

[Fai Mao]

Paxton’s campaign says the internal polls show him 3 to 5 points up.