Montgomery County Eagle Forum
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TexasChoice Candidate Comparison
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Welcome to TexasChoice! We are continuing to research candidates for the Midterm Elections and will add additional data as it becomes available.
Please note that only candidates with a challenger are included in the database.
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Ken Paxton
Republican
Candidate for U.S. Senate
About
Attorney General (2015–present), Texas State Senator (2013–2015), Texas State Representative (2003–2013).
Conservative Endorsements
Candidate Videos
Survey Responses
Notable Quotes
“Free and fair elections are a cornerstone of a thriving republic.”
“This is America, and we will not be governed by Sharia law.”
“There are only two sexes, and that is determined not by feelings or ‘gender theory’ but by biology at conception. ”
“In Texas, we cherish all of our children, and we must do everything in our power to keep them safe.”
James Talarico
Democrat
Candidate for U.S. Senate
About
Texas House of Representatives (2018-present). Former Central Texas Executive Director of Reasoning Mind, a nonprofit providing technology to low-income classrooms (2014-2018). Middle school Language Arts teacher (2011-2013).
Conservative Endorsements
- None
Candidate Videos
Notable Quotes
“In my faith, God is non-binary.”
“Undocumented Americans are folks who work in our businesses, learn in our schools and contribute to our communities — but lack citizenship documentation. As a Texas legislator, they’re also my constituents.”
“We already have a lot of voter suppression in Texas. It’s baked into our laws.”
“I think we produce some of the best drag queens in the nation. And I didn’t want any legislation to target them or hurt that industry.”
Positions on Texas Eagle Forum Priorities
Ken Paxton
James Talarico
AI CANDIDATE SUMMARY
Ken Paxton’s record closely aligns with Texas Eagle Forum Legislative Priorities. He has worked to secure the border, defend election integrity and school choice, strike down DEI, defend the Heartbeat Act, and treat child gender transitions as illegal. He has sued out-of-state abortion-pill providers and the NCAA to protect women’s sports, defended the foreign-adversary land ban, sued EPIC City and investigated the Islamic Tribunal, defended Ten Commandments displays in public schools, and blocked vaccine mandates. AI can make mistakes, verify all important facts.
AI CANDIDATE SUMMARY
James Talarico’s record strongly conflicts with Texas Eagle Forum priorities. He opposed border-security funding, accused ICE of “terrorizing” the country, supports a path to citizenship for illegals, broke quorum to block election-integrity legislation, rejects school choice and the Parents Bill of Rights. He authored a repeal of the Heartbeat Act, supports casino and cannabis legalization and red-flag laws, opposes the foreign-adversary land ban and Ten Commandments displays, and praised Islamic mystics who he said helped shape his faith. AI can make mistakes, verify all important facts.
Border Security & Immigration
- HALTED THE DESTRUCTION OF TEXAS BORDER BARRIERS by suing the Biden Administration. [1, 2]
- BLOCKED UNLAWFUL RESIDENCY FOR ILLEGAL ALIENS by suing and permanently blocking the Biden Administration from allowing this practice and shut down a Houston-Area “birth tourism” center that unlawfully facilitated over 1,000 births to foreign Chinese nationals. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]
- DEFENDED TEXAS BORDER SECURITY LAW in court, securing an emergency stay of a district court ruling that would have blocked the law from taking effect (Senate Bill 4, 2023). [1, 2, 3]
- AIDED FEDERAL DEPORTATIONS in Texas by signing a 287(g) agreement with the Trump Administration’s DHS. [1, 2, 3, 4]
- SECURED A VICTORY AGAINST A BORDER NGO in the Texas Supreme Court allowing the investigation of NGOs (nongovernmental organizations) suspected of harboring illegal aliens. [1, 2]
- AFFIRMED THE CONSTITUTIONAL AUTHORITY of Texas and all U.S. States to defend themselves against border invasions by issuing an official statement expressing strong support for U.S. House Resolution 50 (2026). [1, 2, 3]
- VOTED AGAINST EXPANDING BORDER ENFORCEMENT, creating state crimes for illegal entry into Texas, and authorizing Texas judges to order deportation to the foreign country of origin in certain cases (Senate Bill 4, 2023). [1, 2, 3]
- VOTED AGAINST APPROPRIATING FUNDS FOR BORDER SECURITY, including constructing an additional border barrier and increasing the number of Texas National Guard and other law enforcement personnel at the border (House Bill 9, 2021). [1, 2, 3, 4]
- SAID THAT ICE is “terrorizing our country.” [1, 2]
- ENCOURAGED ILLEGAL ALIENS TO "FIGHT BACK" and shared how they could evade detention by posting a graphic to social media. [1, 2]
- WANTS TO CREATE A PATH TO CITIZENSHIP for "the immigrants who have been here the longest and certain groups like spouses and DREAMers...” [1, 2, 3, 4]
Secure Our Elections
- DEMANDED CITIZENSHIP DATA FROM THE BIDEN ADMINISTRATION and sued over noncompliance to prevent non-citizen registration. [1, 2, 3]
- SECURED A VICTORY UPHOLDING THE BAN OF BALLOT HARVESTING in Texas in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit after a federal district court had blocked enforcement of the ban (Senate Bill 1, 2021). [1, 2, 3]
- DEFENDED THE ELECTION INTEGRITY PROTECTION ACT (Senate Bill 1, 2021) against challenges, conducted raids, and issued indictments through the Office of the Attorney General. [1, 2, 3]
- BROKE QUORUM TO BLOCK THE ELECTION INTEGRITY PROTECTION ACT in the Texas House with fellow Democrats (Senate Bill 1, 2021).[1][2][3]
- VOTED AGAINST INCREASING PENALTIES FOR ILLEGAL ALIENS voting in Texas elections from a Class A misdemeanor to a second-degree felony (House Bill 1243, 2023).[1][2][3]
- CO-AUTHORED A BILL TO ALLOW RANKED-CHOICE VOTING in municipal elections (House Bill 2825, 2023). This newer method of tallying votes can allow marginal candidates not supported by a majority of voters to be elected.[1][2][3][4]
Education Issues
- AFFIRMED THE CONSTITUTIONALITY OF SCHOOL CHOICE and Education Savings Accounts (ESAs), by issuing an official legal opinion, stating “Texas parents should have the right to choose the best school for their kids.” [1, 2, 3, 4]
- DECLARED DEI UNCONSTITUTIONAL in a legal opinion aimed at dismantling the decades of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) frameworks embedded in over 100 Texas laws and policies. [1, 2, 3, 4]
- OPPOSED CRT IN THE U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION in a legal comment letter that described critical race theory (CRT) as “anti-American propaganda” and “woke indoctrination” and initiated legal action against Texas school districts for alleged violations of the state CRT ban. [1, 2, 3, 4]
- VOTED AGAINST EDUCATION SAVINGS ACCOUNTS (ESAs) in Texas and proposed an amendment to have voters decide on the ballot rather than pass the bill in session (Senate Bill 2, 2025). [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7]
- SPONSORED THE CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT authorizing a local-option property tax exemption carve-out for child-care facilities (SJR 64, 2023). [1, 2, 3, 4]
- WANTS UNIVERSAL PRE-K for every 3- and 4-year-old while recognizing it requires raising local taxes, prioritizes investing in childcare for children under 3, and protecting Head Start, the federal program offering free early childhood and family-support services. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]
Protect Childhood Innocence
- PROTECTED CHILDREN FROM EXPOSURE TO SEXUALLY ILLICIT CONTENT at erotic drag shows by successfully defending Senate Bill 12 at the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit (2023).[1][2][3]
- SHIELDED CHILDREN FROM PORNOGRAPHY WEBSITES by successfully defending the Texas law requiring age verification on pornography websites at the U.S. Supreme Court (House Bill 1181, 2023).[1][2][3]
- SECURED COURT VICTORY HOLDING TIKTOK LIABLE FOR EXPLICIT CONTENT, addictive features, failing to protect minors, and misleading parents about the safety of its platform. Also sued Snapchat.[1][2][3][4]
- VOTED AGAINST STRENGTHENING SCHOOL BOARD/PARENTAL OVERSIGHT of "indecent" or "harmful" library materials that are "inconsistent with community values" (Senate Bill 13, 2025). Strongly opposed the bill in floor discussions. [1, 2]
- VOTED AGAINST RESTRICTING SEXUALLY EXPLICIT MATERIALS in school libraries and adding parental consent rules for some content (House Bill 900, 2023). Spoke against the bill in committee. [1, 2, 3, 4]
- ABSTAINED FROM VOTING ON RESTRICTING "SEXUALLY ORIENTED PERFORMANCES" on public property or in the presence of minors (Senate Bill 12, 2023). [1, 2]
Gender Issues
- SUED THE NCAA TO PREVENT BIOLOGICAL MEN from competing in women's sports. [1, 2, 3]
- DECLARED TRANSITIONING TEXAS KIDS ILLEGAL for mental health providers in a legal opinion and issued another opinion that performing certain sex-change procedures on children, and prescribing puberty-blockers to them, is “child abuse” under Texas law. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6]
- FOUGHT SCHOOLS HELPING STUDENTS CHANGE GENDER IDENTITY by joining an amicus brief with 17 other states in the U.S. Court of Appeals, pushing back against school administrators who were encouraging students to “transition” without their parents’ knowledge or consent. [1, 2, 3, 4]
- DECLARED IT UNLAWFUL FOR TRANSGENDERS TO CHANGE THE SEX LISTED ON DRIVER'S LICENSES or birth certificates in a legal opinion, stating, "There are only two sexes, and that is determined not by feelings or ‘gender theory’ but by biology at conception." [1, 2, 3, 4]
- VOTED AGAINST THE PARENTS BILL OF RIGHTS that prohibits school employees from “assisting a student with social transitioning,” bans student clubs based on sexual orientation or gender identity, and strengthens parental notification/consent requirements for health/psychological services, sex education (opt-in), and related topics (Senate Bill 12, 2025). [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]
- VOTED AGAINST PROTECTING FEMALE SPORTS and called men in women’s sports a "far-right conspiracy" (Senate Bill 15, 2023 and House Bill 25, 2021, 3rd Session). [1, 2, 3, 4]
- VOTED AGAINST THE WOMEN'S PRIVACY ACT/BATHROOM BILL, which requires government-owned restrooms with multiple stalls, locker rooms, showers, and changing rooms, including in public schools, to be designated and used according to biological sex (Senate Bill 8, 2025, 2nd Special Session). [1, 2]
- STATED, “In my faith, God is non-binary.” [1, 2]
Government-Sanctioned Addiction
- UPHELD POLICE ENFORCEMENT OF MARIJUANA POSSESSION by filing multiple lawsuits against Texas cities for adopting ordinances or policies decriminalizing possession and violating Texas drug laws. [1, 2]
- ISSUED LEGAL OPINIONS ON PAID DAILY FANTASY SPORTS declaring them illegal gambling under Texas law and ruled that “skill” gaming machines are illegal if any chance is involved. [1, 2, 3]
- VOTED FOR PLACING CASINO LEGISLATION ON THE BALLOT (HJR 155, 2023) and received $59,000 from the Texas Sands pro-gambling PAC backed by megadonor Miriam Adelson in 2024. [1, 2, 3]
- AUTHORED A BILL TO LEGALIZE CANNABIS, expunge past convictions, and use tax revenue for early childhood education (House Bill 4089, 2021). [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]
- VOTED AGAINST THE BAN ON THC/HEMP PRODUCTS (Senate Bill 3, 2025, vetoed by the Governor). [1, 2]
Protect Life
- DEFENDED THE TEXAS HEARTBEAT ACT by winning multiple challenges in court (Senate Bill 8, 2021). [1, 2, 3]
- DEFENDED THE RIGHTS OF HOSPITALS AND DOCTORS TO REFUSE TO PROVIDE ABORTIONS that are prohibited by state law, securing a win at the U.S. Supreme Court. [1, 2, 3]
- SUED OUT-OF-STATE ABORTION PILL PROVIDERS for shipping abortion pills to Texas in violation of state law. [1, 2, 3, 4]
- AUTHORED A BILL TO REPEAL THE TEXAS HEARTBEAT ACT and the Human Life Protection Act (House Bill 5310, 2025). [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]
- PROPOSED A CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT TO PROTECT ACCESS TO ABORTIONS by prohibiting the legislature from restricting an individual’s access to abortion and related health care (HJR 204, 2025). [1, 2]
- STATED THAT HE SUPPORTS EUTHANASIA LEGISLATION that grants citizens the right to choose to die on a 2020 political survey. [1]
Islamification of Texas
- SUED EPIC CITY to stop its illegal land development scheme, investigating and ending a potential "Sharia City" in Kaufman County. [1, 2]
- FORMALLY INVESTIGATED THE ISLAMIC TRIBUNAL to prevent parallel legal systems in Texas. [1, 2, 3]
- STATED, "Because of the risks posed by the infiltration of Sharia law into Texas, my office will work tirelessly to end any illegal scheme that seeks to subvert the Constitution and disrupt the American way of life.” [1]
- PRAISED ISLAM FOR SHAPING HIS RELIGIOUS BELIEFS and said that “Islamic Mystics” shaped his faith “as much as” Christians. [1]
- AUTHORED A BILL TO ALLOW IMAMS TO PERFORM MARRIAGE CEREMONIES in Texas (House Bill 2039, 2021), thanking the Muslim activists who helped him write the bill. [1, 2, 3]
- WANTS TO TAKE VIGOROUS ACTION AGAINST ISLAMOPHOBIA AND ANTISEMITISM and pass the DO NO HARM Act (S.894, 2025) in the Senate. [1, 2, 3]
National Security
- DEFENDED THE ADVERSARIAL LAND OWNERSHIP ACT successfully in U.S. District Court (Senate Bill 17, 2025). This law restricts foreign adversaries from acquiring real property in Texas. [1, 2]
- TARGETED CHINESE-LINKED FIRMS for data and security risks, filing multiple lawsuits, and launched probes into use of CCP-aligned tech products in state infrastructure. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6]
- PUSHED FOR ILLEGALS TO FACE JUSTICE by supporting appeals court decisions and pushing back against attempts to grant amnesty or dismiss cases. [1, 2]
- VOTED AGAINST THE ADVERSARIAL LAND OWNERSHIP ACT (Senate Bill 17, 2025). This law restricts foreign adversaries from acquiring real property in Texas. [1, 2, 3]
- WANTS TO “deepen cooperation with NATO and the EU…” [1]
- SAID IT IS OUR DUTY TO DEFEND UKRAINE against Russian aggression, "address human rights abuses like those being suffered by the people of Sudan, and use every ounce of our diplomatic and financial leverage to secure peace in Israel and Palestine." [1]
Other Constitutional Issues
- DIRECTED SCHOOLS TO DISPLAY THE TEN COMMANDMENTS per state law (Senate Bill 10, 2025) and sued non-compliant districts. [1, 2, 3]
- FILED A BRIEF DEFENDING THE SECOND AMENDMENT, urging the U.S. Supreme Court to confirm Second Amendment rights and arguing that restrictions must align with the Amendment’s original meaning as an individual right, not a second-class one. [1, 2]
- REPEATEDLY SUED TO BLOCK VACCINE MANDATES from the Biden Administration for healthcare workers, federal contractors, and others. [1, 2]
- SUPPORTED MEASURES TO BAN A STATE INCOME TAX in Texas and criticized opponents for supporting a state income tax. [1, 2, 3]
- OPPOSED FEDERAL OVERREACH by filing a brief with the U.S. Supreme Court recognizing the original intent of the framers of the Constitution was to regard the states and the federal government as equals in carrying out justice separately. [1, 2, 3]
- STATED THAT REPARATIONS are "radical and unconstitutional" and described DEI as a “broken worldview” falling under "the tacit guise of sociological reparations.” [1, 2]
- SECURED LENGTHY PRISON SENTENCES, including life sentences, in cases involving sexual abuse of children and other violent crimes, defended federal legal standards that keep violent criminals in prison, and sued city officials for allegedly underfunding the Dallas Police Department. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6]
- VOTED AGAINST DISPLAYING THE TEN COMMANDMENTS in public schools, debating the bill on faith grounds as "un-Christian" and unconstitutional (Senate Bill 10, 2025). [1, 2, 3, 4]
- VOTED AGAINST CONSTITUTIONAL CARRY, which allows permitless carry of a handgun for persons 21 years of age or older (House Bill 1927, 2021) . [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]
- FAVORS RED-FLAG GUN LAWS and wants to establish universal background checks for gun sales. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8]
- VOTED AGAINST PROHIBITING REQUIRED COVID VACCINATIONS as a condition of employment by private employers or contractors (Senate Bill 7, 2023) and supported eliminating religious exemptions for vaccinations. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6]
- VOTED AGAINST BANNING A STATE INCOME TAX through constitutional amendments (HJR 38, 2019) and against banning estate/death taxes (HJR 2, 2025). [1, 2, 3]
- SPOKE ABOUT REPARATIONS, stating, “We have to correct injustices from our past…Until we as a society are committed to righting those past wrongs, of restoring our black communities, we’re never going to be able to get this country on track.” Pointed to policies such as tuition relief, homeownership grants, and “baby bonds” to help build generational wealth in Black communities. [1, 2, 3, 4]
- CALLED FOR SLASHING POLICE AND PRISON BUDGETS and redirecting the money to social programs in a 2022 speech, stating, "A nonviolent government would refuse to repay evil with evil." Also called for an end to "over-policing" in the wake of George Floyd's death. [1, 2]
Notes from Local Researchers
Ken Paxton
James Talarico
- HAS BEEN A FEARLESS DEFENDER of Texas conservative initiatives. He never backed down even though the establishment tried to silence him again and again. He led the fight against the Biden administration over 100 times against open borders policies, government overreach, attacks on the Second Amendment and the far-left's radical agenda. His voting record and actions taken as Texas Attorney General show that he has not changed his talking points or his message since serving in the Texas House[1][2][3][4][5][6]
- SUED TO BLOCK a Biden EPA rule he described as part of an “extremist climate agenda” that would harm Texas energy and manufacturing jobs.[1][2][3]
- ARTICLE: If the Paxtons Are Corrupt, They're Remarkably Bad at It
- MANY OF HIS PUBLIC STATEMENTS ARE CONSIDERED HERETICAL by evangelical Christians and Catholics. This is relevant to Christians as they evaluate how these would factor into his lawmaking and the direction of our state and nation (Christian founding vs. Leftist views on Islam and trans inclusive issues, etc.). Please read A Pastoral Statement on James Talarico from U.S. Pastor Council.[1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11]
- HAS SHIFTED HIS TALKING POINTS toward a more moderate stance for this election. Voters should review his voting record and past public statements rather than relying only on his current media appearances and talking points.[1][2][3][4][5][6][7]
- AUTHORED THE TEXAS CLIMATE ACTION ACT which would have required the state to set and meet greenhouse gas emissions reduction targets of at least 50% below 1990 levels by 2030 and at least 90% below 1990 levels by 2050 (House Bill 2206, 2021). His campaign later stated that he supports oil and gas, but his support has been for large bipartisan bills, not innovative expansion bills.[1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8]