Overview
- Dan Cogdell, a Houston attorney who defended Ken Paxton in his 2023 impeachment and a long-running securities case, publicly endorsed Democrat James Talarico on Monday and said Paxton “has lost sight of his core mission.”
- Cogdell has a financial history with both campaigns, having given about $6,500 to Paxton last year and $1,000 to Talarico in March, and he made the endorsement in an interview and on his podcast that was first reported by NOTUS.
- Talarico welcomed the endorsement as evidence his campaign can bring in Republicans and independents, while Paxton’s allies and campaign aides dismissed the move by noting Cogdell’s recent Democratic voting and donations.
- The development arrives after Paxton’s upset of Sen. John Cornyn in a May runoff and comes as polls and fundraising show the general election has become competitive, prompting national party attention and likely heavy spending this fall.
- Cogdell’s shift underscores the central vulnerability Democrats highlight in the race: Paxton’s long legal and ethical baggage from the securities case, the 2023 impeachment, and other controversies that could sway moderate voters.