Elections
Old pen video resurfaces as attack ad in Texas Senate race
PN Team • 2 months ago
The Texas U.S. Senate contest between Republican incumbent Ken Paxton and Democratic state Rep. James Talarico has turned to recycled material from past campaigns, most notably a 2018 video showing Paxton pocketing a $1,000 Montblanc pen left behind at a Collin County courthouse security checkpoint. Paxton returned the pen once notified of the mix-up, and his campaign at the time called the episode a nonstory. The clip originally surfaced in an ad from Justin Nelson, Paxton's 2018 Democratic challenger, who narrowly lost that race.
Talarico's campaign has now revived the footage and its "won't steal your pen" tagline in a new ad, adding a fresh endorsement from Joe Joplin, the pen's original owner. The ad also follows renewed attention to Paxton's past securities fraud indictment, resolved without conviction, and his 2023 impeachment by the Texas House, which ended in acquittal by the state Senate. The race is considered one of the most closely watched Senate contests in the country this cycle.
Sources:
Sentiment
- Ken Paxton Paxton is depicted pocketing a pen he didn't own and facing renewed scrutiny over past fraud indictment and impeachment, casting him in a negative light.
- James Talarico Talarico is portrayed as running an effective attack campaign highlighting his opponent's past controversies.
- Republican Party (United States) Referenced as Paxton's party amid an unflattering campaign narrative, giving a mildly negative association.
- Democratic Party (United States) Mentioned as the party affiliation of Talarico and Nelson without further elaboration.
- Texas Texas is referenced as the setting of the Senate race, a neutral geographic detail.
- United States Senate The U.S. Senate is mentioned only as the office being contested, a neutral factual reference.