The race for the U.S. Senate in Texas is heating up, with both sides lobbing attacks at the other.
For Republican U.S. Senate candidate Ken Paxton, that means criticizing Democrat James Talarico for “pushing radical left-wing ideology on Texas children,” his campaign said in an email.
Paxton cited a recent report from the Washington Free Beacon, an independent online news source, that accused Talarico of advancing diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) policies in Texas schools while simultaneously working with a consulting firm that pushes DEI programs.
The “radical gender ideologies” Talarico promoted, Paxton said, included encouraging schools to recognize “Trans Day of Visibility” and advancing a policy that urged school officials not to disclose trans students’ gender status to parents. The consulting firm, MAYA Consulting, was also advancing DEI policies while Talarico was filing legislation for large school districts to hire DEI officers, the report alleged.
The report also stated that the consulting firm supported efforts to defund the Austin Police Department.
“As Talarico continues to hide behind lies and try to reinvent himself, his disturbing pattern of weird and radical behavior keeps getting worse,” Paxton said in a statement. “Talarico claims he is running on his record, but his record is a career-long crusade for radical causes and corruption. He has spent his entire career advancing dangerous, out-of-touch policies that are too radical for Texas.”
Dems blame Paxton for screwworm outbreak
Meanwhile, the Texas Democratic Party set its sights on Paxton’s role in the recent screwworm outbreak in Texas, which is taking a devastating toll on the beef industry.
Paxton was one of the loudest cheerleaders for trillionaire Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), which gutted federal programs and fired workers tasked with protecting America’s livestock and food chain. Paxton waved off critics who warned about the negative impact of Musk’s widespread cuts.
The DOGE cuts are even receiving criticism from Republicans, with Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller slamming the slow federal response to the crisis as the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) works with a skeleton crew.
The devastating screwworm outbreak comes as beef prices are already at record highs thanks to President Donald Trump’s disastrous tariffs, which Paxton wholeheartedly supported, the Texas Democrats stated.
Adam Powell covers government and politics for the El Paso Times and can be reached via email at apowell@elpasotimes.com.
This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: Paxton targets Talarico over DEI support in Texas US Senate race
Reporting by Adam Powell, El Paso Times / El Paso Times
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By Adam Powell, El Paso Times | USA TODAY Network
