Overview
- On Monday, Houston attorney Dan Cogdell, who served on Ken Paxton’s defense team during the 2023 impeachment and the long‑running securities fraud case, announced he will back Democrat James Talarico.
- Cogdell said Paxton “has lost sight of his core mission” and praised Talarico’s promise of unity, a message Talarico used to court disaffected John Cornyn voters.
- Paxton’s campaign downplayed the move by noting Cogdell is a registered Democrat and pointing to his prior donations to both campaigns.
- The endorsement lands as the race remains highly competitive in early polls, with surveys showing single‑digit leads either way and both campaigns reporting active fundraising surges.
- Political operatives view the defection as fresh evidence of intra‑GOP strain after Paxton’s upset of Sen. John Cornyn and Trump’s endorsement, and it could influence national party spending and crossover Republican voters ahead of November.