Talarico campaign hires former top Cornyn staffer
Former Republican aide Jacob Smith joins Democrat James Talarico's Texas Senate campaign, aiming to sway independents and Republicans amid a tight race against Ken Paxton.
- Jacob Smith, a five-year veteran of Republican Senator John Cornyn's office, joined Democrat James Talarico's U.S. Senate campaign as deputy policy director, crossing party lines to challenge Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton.
- After Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton defeated Senator John Cornyn in the Republican primary earlier this year, Smith rejected partisan loyalty, stating, "I've worked for Republicans like Senator Cornyn my entire career, but this year I'm proud to be joining James Talarico's campaign."
- Smith criticized Paxton as "the most corrupt, self-dealing politician in Texas," urging fellow Republicans to hold him accountable, while Talarico has raised more than $70 million this cycle, fueling talk of the state's most competitive Senate race.
- One Republican operative called the staffing move simply "unheard of" as recent polls show a tight contest between Talarico and Paxton, with the race frequently deadlocked as November draws closer.
- A Democrat has not won a statewide race in Texas since 1994, meaning Talarico likely needs strong support from independents and Republicans unwilling to back Paxton to achieve the American Dream for all 31 million Texans.
26 Articles
26 Articles
Long-time Cornyn Aide Defects To Talarico Campaign
Jacob Smith is a lifetime Republican who has worked for Republicans in the House and the Senate. For the last five years, he has worked for Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) as a deputy legislative director and policy adviser. Now he is deputy policy director for Democrat James Talarico’s senate campaign against Republican Ken Paxton. “I’ve worked for Republicans like Senator Cornyn my entire career, but this year I’m proud to be joining James Talarico’s …
RINO Senator's Longtime Aide Ditches Republicans To Work For Far-Left Democrat After His Boss Gets Thrown Out By MAGA Primary Voters - The American Tribune.com
A Republican Senate aide who formerly worked for Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX), who lost the GOP primary for the midterm election to Attorney General Ken Paxton, has decided to ditch his values and work for Democrats trying to flip the Senate seat from red to blue. James Talarico, the Democratic Party nominee for the seat, brought on a policy staffer who worked with Cornyn for five years. The aide, Jacob Smith, who worked as Cornyn’s deputy legislativ…
Top Republican aide jumps ship to help Democrat James Talarico defeat Ken Paxton
Ken Paxton has a new problem in his Texas Senate race, and this one knows the Republican playbook from the inside. Jacob Smith, a longtime Republican staffer and former deputy legislative director to Sen. John Cornyn, has crossed party lines to join James Talarico’s Democratic Senate campaign, NOTUS first reported. Smith will serve as Talarico’s deputy policy director, helping the Democrat take on Paxton in a race Republicans once might have exp…
The Democrats Turning to Republicans For Votes
Texas Democratic Senate candidate James Talarico is running against Texas state Attorney General Ken Paxton, who defeated Sen. John Cornyn in the Republican primary runoff earlier this year. Brenda Bazán/AP PhotoWith key races in red and purple states like Texas, Alaska, Georgia and Arizona, Democrats are turning to Republican validators to help them win statewide contests.Candidates are trotting out endorsements from prominent Republican offici…
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