Texas Senate Rivals May Finally Have To Say It To Each Other’s Faces

With just 13 days until Election Day, Texas Republican Senate nominee Ken Paxton said he would debate Democratic rival James Talarico “if the terms were right,” prompting Talarico to suggest a TMZ-hosted showdown.

The entertainment site caught up with both candidates on the campaign trail, pressing Paxton, who has repeatedly rebuffed calls to debate his Democratic rival.

“Look, if the terms were right, I’d have no problem,” Paxton told TMZ’s Charlie Cotton, who followed up by asking what those terms would be.

“So in terms of debating, I don’t want to end up with a CNN reporter covering the debate. So, you know, I don’t know what all the terms are, but I do know I don’t want a CNN reporter covering our debate, which initially was talked about,” Paxton said.

Ken Paxton shares a bag of beef jerky with TMZ DC’s @hicharliecotton and reveals what it would take for him to debate his opponent, James Talarico. https://t.co/cNDP1zHdei

— TMZ (@TMZ) October 20, 2026

President Donald Trump has previously said the Republican nominee was “ready, willing and able” to debate. Paxton told TMZ that characterization “is always true.”

Talarico, meanwhile, has challenged Paxton to debate at any time or place, even offering to meet on Fox News, and took a swipe at the attorney general for refusing to agree to a showdown.

“Well, I mean, Ken Paxton has refused to debate, and that’s pretty low-T behavior in my book,” Talarico told a TMZ reporter. “But I actually challenged him to do it on Fox News on his home turf in his safe space. But maybe, this is now just occurring to me, TMZ should host this debate. You seem to get a hold of Ken Paxton easier than most journalists do.” 

🚨 James Talarico is taking Ken Paxton up on his offer to debate under the right conditions, and he’s proposing the perfect venue: a TMZ-hosted showdown.

🎥: @jacob_wass https://t.co/Fh6LDd0ViB

— TMZ (@TMZ) October 21, 2026

Early voting is underway in the Lone Star State, with preliminary reports showing several North Texas counties, including Dallas, Tarrant, Collin, and Denton, with record first-day turnout for a midterm. Both candidates are crisscrossing the state in a race that could help determine control of the Senate. Talarico holds a two-point lead in the RealClearPolitics polling average, threatening to hand Republicans their first statewide defeat in Texas in decades.

TMZ also pressed Paxton about the prospect of losing, asking if he would feel “ashamed” for not pulling out a victory. 

“No, look, I know that I’ve worked hard, and I know that we have done everything that we possibly could to make sure that we win the race,” Paxton said. “I truly believe we’re going to win this race, but in the end, it’s the voters that decide. And I trust them. I trust that they will make a good decision. I believe in them, and so you know what? We just see what happens on election day.”

The Cook Political Report ranks the race as a toss-up.