Ken Paxton‘s former personal lawyer is bucking his high-profile client to endorse Democratic candidate James Talarico for Texas’s U.S. Senate seat, according to a NOTUS report.
After Paxton’s GOP runoff victory against incumbent Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX), Texas solidified the long-awaited matchup between Trump-endorsed Paxton and vocal Christian Democrat Talarico in late May. The Lone Star State’s 2026 Senate race has drawn national attention and donations, as Democrats aim to flip the state blue with Talarico and Republicans aim to send MAGA-hardliner Paxton to Washington, D.C.
In a race where endorsements have been central, Houston defense attorney Dan Cogdell’s backing of Talarico comes as a bit of a surprise, as he defended Paxton in his 2023 impeachment trial and has donated to his campaign, according to Federal Election Commission data. NOTUS reported that Cogdell, who has made statements denouncing Trump, said Paxton “has lost sight of his core mission, which is to represent the people of Texas.”
“Unlike Ken, I believe to my core that James Talarico believes in unity over division and that he knows how to assemble not only Democrats, but Independents and Republicans, and we need that right now,” Cogdell told NOTUS.
