Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear said Sunday that “Texas is in play” for Democrats in this year’s Senate race after state Attorney General Ken Paxton beat Sen. John Cornyn in last week’s Republican primary.
Beshear, a Democrat, told NBC News’ “Meet the Press” that “Democrats have never run against a candidate like Ken Paxton that is so corrupt that his own party impeached him. This is someone who does not have the character ... to serve as AG or even as dogcatcher.”
The GOP-controlled Texas state House impeached Paxton in 2023 on bribery and corruption charges before the state Senate acquitted him. The state Senate trial also touched on allegations that Paxton had an extramarital affair while serving as attorney general.
Last year, Paxton’s wife, who is also a state senator, announced that she had filed for divorce from the attorney general “on biblical grounds” and “in light of recent discoveries.”
Paxton did not testify at his impeachment trial, but he denied any wrongdoing and characterized the misconduct and corruption allegations as false and politically motivated. After his wife announced their divorce, Paxton wrote in a post on X that the two “decided to start a new chapter in our lives” after “countless political attacks.”
Beshear said Sunday that Paxton is a person who “would use his office to enrich himself, that would be a rubber stamp for the president, and would do nothing for the people of Texas. He has shown that as AG.”
Beshear said Paxton’s opponent, Texas state Sen. James Talarico, who won the Democratic primary earlier this year, is a better candidate for Senate.
Talarico “is spreading his message about being there for American families, about putting them ahead of the politics, about bringing down prices, expanding access to healthcare, making sure they feel safe in their community,” the Kentucky governor said. “Those things that make life just a little bit better and a little bit easier as the Trump administration is making things so much harder.”
Beshear accused Paxton of attacking Talarico early in the race because he “knows he has nothing to offer.”
“And so what does he do? He simply attacks his opponent over and over,” Beshear added.
Earlier on “Meet the Press,” former Vice President Mike Pence was asked if he supported Paxton and responded indirectly, saying, “If I was voting in Texas, I could never vote for the Democrat nominee.”
Pence added that he was confident the GOP could keep control of the Senate in November’s elections.
“I think in many respects Republicans have lost our way, but Democrats have lost their mind, and I think the reason why we’re going to hold the Senate,” Pence said.
Beshear also discussed remarks former first lady Jill Biden made last week about concerns she had about Joe Biden’s poor debate performance against Donald Trump two years ago.
“I think it’s fair to look back now, given that Joe Biden did drop out, and say he shouldn’t have run for re-election in the first place,” Beshear said. “You can both compliment him for things he did that helped your state and your people, but also be able to look back and know that was a decision that should have been made differently.”
Also in his interview, Beshear was asked if he himself was considering running for president in 2028.
“I haven’t ruled it out,” he said. “But I haven’t sat down and had that conversation with my family. I’m trying to fire up Democrats to be a voice of reason in the chaos. It is so important that we win right now.”
