Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and State Rep. James Talarico are already launching attacks against each other as the Texas Senate race begins to take shape following Tuesday’s primary election. Just hours after Paxton officially secured the Republican nomination, Talarico announced he would begin what he called “The People vs. Ken Paxton Tour,” traveling across Texas through June 1. Paxton also quickly responded online, signaling what could become a lengthy and closely watched campaign ahead of the November general election. Both campaigns released attack ads shortly after the primary results. One Paxton campaign ad targeted Talarico, saying: “This is Texas. This is not. Are many more than two biological sexes. In fact, there are six.” Meanwhile, a Talarico campaign ad criticized Paxton, saying: “Remind us all, what is Attorney General Paxton accused of doing? The list is really long: bribery, dereliction of duty, obstruction of justice, and conspiracy.” Political science professors at Southern Methodist University and the University of Texas at Austin said the race is already drawing attention because of the candidates’ sharp political differences and Paxton’s dominant primary victory. “The margin was a surprise to me,” Cal Jillson, an SMU political science professor, said. Sean Theriault, a political science professor at UT Austin, said Republicans rallied behind Paxton after receiving support from President Donald Trump. “The Republicans got the candidate they wanted. Boy, that margin last night was really big,” Theriault said. “And so now we have a Donald Trump-endorsed MAGA Republican candidate versus James Talarico, who’s been in the state legislature and has been making some waves.” The campaign season ahead is expected to feature more aggressive messaging from both sides. One Talarico campaign ad says: “Our southern border should be like our front porch. There should be a giant welcome mat.” A Paxton campaign ad also describes Talarico by saying: “He’s always been on the edge of sort of criminal activities.” Theriault said Talarico may try to appeal to voters outside the Democratic base. “Talarico has tried to position himself in such a way that he is going to try and pick off some of those independent voters and perhaps even some of the Cornyn supporters,” he said. Paxton won 63% of the vote in the Republican primary and performed strongly in counties that support Trump after receiving the president’s endorsement late in the race. Experts said those voting patterns could present challenges for Talarico in the months ahead. “I suspect that what Paxton is going to try and do is make sure those Republicans stay in the Republican Party,” Theriault said. “I think that he’s going to be heavily reliant upon the president to make the case for him. And I think he’s gonna be dependent upon a lot of that national Republican money that was really funding a lot of Cornyn’s ads.” Theriault said fundraising and campaigning could bring more national political figures to Texas before the November election. “It’s an important race,” Theriault said. “The candidates are distinctively different, and there are almost six months left for people to educate themselves.” This story was originally reported for broadcast by NBC DFW. AI tools helped convert the story into a digital article, and an NBC DFW journalist edited it again before publication. ...read more read less