Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton wants a seat in the U.S. Senate. But if the crowds showing up to his campaign events are any indication, the Texas Republican may have a serious enthusiasm problem. His Democratic opponent, James Talarico, isn’t letting him off the hook, accusing Paxton of canceling rallies because nobody is showing up. And photos and videos from recent campaign stops are adding fuel to the fire.
Speaking to CNN on Thursday, Talarico delivered a particularly blunt assessment of his opponent’s campaign.
“Ken Paxton is canceling rallies because nobody is showing up. He can’t recruit volunteers, so he uses AI bots. He doesn’t have any grassroots donors, so he’s relying on the richest man in the world to fund his campaign,” Talarico said.
The jab came after Paxton’s campaign announced it was postponing a November 1 rally in El Paso, citing scheduling and logistical issues.
The event had been scheduled for the Orca Event Center, a venue with a listed capacity of just 130 people.
Talarico’s comments quickly gained traction after journalist Aaron Rupar shared a clip of the CNN exchange on X. The post attracted more than 173,000 views and 10,000 likes.
But the real attention is turning toward the growing contrast between the two campaigns’ public appearances. And some of the images circulating online aren’t exactly flattering for Paxton.
One particularly unflattering example came from Paxton’s October 28 campaign stop at Arc Light Bar & Grill inside the Clarion Hotel in San Angelo.
Video shared on X by Media Touch shows several dozen people scattered around the venue, with some standing and others sitting in rows of chairs in front of a stage decorated with American and Texas flags.
According to multiple reports, only a few people attended.
The venue’s Video War Room can reportedly accommodate up to 120 people seated or 200 standing.
Then there’s Paxton’s July 14 rally in McAllen, where the attendance numbers became a controversy of their own.
His campaign claimed 763 people attended the University Draft House event. Local outlet MyRGV.com reported something considerably different: attendance peaked at approximately 100.
Texas Democrats subsequently accused Paxton’s campaign of inflating the numbers.
In other words, even the size of Paxton’s crowds has become a political fight.
The biggest crowds associated with Paxton’s campaign have come at events featuring Trump.
On October 27, the president addressed approximately 2,000 people at a warehouse in the Port of Corpus Christi, according to Nexstar. He also appeared at the Lubbock Civic Center, where KCBD reported that more than 15,000 people gathered outside, with just over 5,000 making it inside.
Meanwhile, Talarico’s campaign has been producing a very different set of photographs.
On October 29, the Democratic Senate hopeful addressed approximately 2,600 people at the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center in Dallas, according to The Christian Post.
Fox News reporter Olivia Palombo shared a photograph of the event on X, describing the venue as standing-room-only, with what appeared to be every seat occupied.
The previous day, Talarico held a rally in Lubbock at the Fiesta Center, the same city where Trump had appeared at the Civic Center.
According to KCBD, the crowd was too large to fit inside the Fiesta Center.
Talarico’s campaign said 4,000 people registered for the event, with approximately 500 volunteers.
Photographs shared by Democratic-aligned accounts on X contrasted Talarico’s packed venue and overflow crowd with images showing empty seats at Trump’s Lubbock appearance.
Talarico also drew a large crowd in El Paso on October 26, holding an event at Magoffin Auditorium, which has approximately 1,100 seats. Video shared by his campaign appeared to show a packed auditorium, with organizers saying the event exceeded capacity.
The images are becoming a talking point in a race where enthusiasm, organization, and the ability to mobilize voters could matter enormously.
Republicans Have A Texas Problem
Talarico is attempting something Democrats haven’t accomplished in nearly four decades: winning a U.S. Senate seat in Texas. The last Democrat elected to represent the state in the Senate was Lloyd Bentsen in 1988.
But recent polling suggests Republicans shouldn’t take this race for granted.
A YouGov survey conducted October 13–21 among 1,000 registered Texas voters showed Talarico leading Paxton 50% to 45%.
An Emerson College/Nexstar poll put Talarico ahead 48% to 46%, while a Texas Public Opinion Research survey showed him leading 51% to 47%.
A Fox News poll, meanwhile, found the candidates tied at 49%. All four surveys were conducted within the same general period, although their voter populations and methodologies differed.
Republicans currently hold a 53-seat Senate majority, and losing Texas would be a major blow to their efforts to maintain control of the chamber. A Democratic takeover would also significantly constrain Trump’s agenda during the final two years of his presidency.
That’s what makes this race so important.
Paxton isn’t just fighting to keep his Senate ambitions alive. He’s running in a state Republicans have treated as reliably red for years, against a Democrat who is drawing substantial crowds and posting competitive polling numbers.
And now his opponent is publicly questioning whether he can even get people to show up.
