Talarico challenges Paxton to debate hosted by TMZ
James Talarico challenges Ken Paxton to debate on TMZ
James Talarico has challenged Ken Paxton to a debate on TMZ after Paxton said he did not want the debate to happen on CNN.
James Talarico suggested that a debate between him and Ken Paxton could be held on TMZ.
Talarico has repeatedly challenged his Republican opponent to a debate, which Paxton has ignored.
In an interview with TMZ, Paxton said he would debate Talarico somewhere other than CNN.
What they're saying:
"I don't know what all the terms are, but I do know I don't want a CNN reporter covering our debate," Paxton said.
The other side:
Talarico told TMZ that Paxton had refused to debate him and suggested that TMZ could host the debate between the two Senate candidates. He was also asked by the interviewer if it was important for Senate candidates to be "macho" after Republicans have continued to take shots at his masculinity.
"Ken Paxton has refused to debate and that's pretty Low-T behavior in my book," Talarico said. "I think y'all at TMZ got to talk with Ken Paxton earlier about his refusal to debate, and he said something about not wanting to do it on CNN, but I actually challenged him to do it on Fox News."
Big picture view:
Talarico has agreed to multiple debates, including the one on Fox News.
Earlier this month, President Donald Trump suggested that Paxton and Talarico should debate, calling the Republican attorney general "ready, willing and able."
Trump calls for debate between Talarico and Paxton, who has resisted previous calls
President Donald Trump on Wednesday night called for a debate between the two leading candidates in the Texas Senate race.
Paxton was asked if the president's assessment of his readiness to debate was accurate.
"Yeah, it's always true," Paxton said.
Early voting opens in Texas
Early voting for the November election in Texas began on Monday, with a record-breaking number of people turning out on the first day in Dallas County. Travis and Harris counties also saw large turnouts on day one.
The race between Paxton and Talarico has been expensive and contentious, with many considering the race to be a key battle for control of the Senate.
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Recent polling has shown Talarico with a slight lead over Paxton in the U.S. Senate race. A Democrat has not won a statewide election in more than 30 years.
The Source: Information in this article comes from interviews conducted by TMZ and previous Fox Local reporting.