Democratic Senate candidate James Talarico has secured the endorsement of Houston attorney Dan Cogdell, who represented Republican Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton for nearly a decade. Cogdell, a key member of Paxton's defense team during his 2023 impeachment trial, announced his support for Talarico in one of the most closely watched US Senate races.
Cogdell's Shift in Allegiance
Cogdell stated that while he does not dislike Paxton personally and believes the impeachment acquittal was justified, he cannot support Paxton as a politician. Cogdell criticized Paxton for being overly focused on appeasing former President Donald Trump, rather than addressing critical issues in Texas such as education and healthcare. "To simply bootlick or rubber stamp Trump, that's not what we need in DC right now," Cogdell said in an interview with the Associated Press.
Implications for the Race
Talarico's campaign has highlighted Paxton's legal troubles as a central attack line. The endorsement from Paxton's former lawyer adds credibility to these attacks. A Paxton campaign aide dismissed the endorsement, noting that Cogdell is a Democrat. Tony Buzbee, Paxton's lead defense attorney in the impeachment trial, reaffirmed his support for Paxton on social media.
Cogdell described himself as a moderate Democrat who has contributed more to Republican candidates than Democrats over the years. His endorsement could help Talarico appeal to moderate voters in the race. Talarico aims to flip the Senate seat blue, as Democrats seek to regain control of the Senate in November.
Paxton recently defeated Senator John Cornyn in the Republican primary runoff, boosted by Trump's endorsement. The general election is expected to be highly competitive.
