Trump Rallies in Texas for Ken Paxton as Senate Race Against Talarico Tightens
Photo: The New York TimesPresident Donald Trump held a double-header of rallies in Texas on Tuesday, October 27, to boost Republican Senate candidate Ken Paxton, the state attorney general, who is in a tight race with Democratic state Rep. James Talarico of Austin. Most polls this month have shown Paxton trailing in a traditionally Republican state, and Talarico has often led. At the first rally, in Corpus Christi, Trump pointed to the oil tanker Angerona docked outside and said it carried 1 million barrels of Venezuelan oil, provided at zero cost to American taxpayers. He said it was the first shipment under an August agreement giving the US a fifth of Venezuela's oil, after he ordered US forces to capture President Nicolás Maduro in January and Delcy Rodríguez took charge. At the GOP midterm convention in Dallas, Trump said Paxton may not dress or speak perfectly but deserves to be the next senator. Paxton has faced an impeachment and long-running ethics accusations, including from within his party. The New York Times reported he has taken about 350 trips outside Texas since being sworn in as attorney general, drawing scrutiny to his campaign. Republicans on the ballot also face high gas prices linked to the war with Iran.
The Daily Mail, on the right, leads with Trump's attempt to rescue Paxton. It features the tanker, the "free oil" pledge, the Maduro capture and the polls showing Paxton behind. Its headline uses phrases like "last-ditch" and says Republicans "fear the worst," and it ties the party's trouble to gas prices. The New York Times, on the left, focuses instead on Paxton's conduct in office. Its headline centers on state-funded travel and about 350 out-of-state trips, and the excerpt provided does not mention Trump's rallies or the oil announcement. Both treat Paxton as a vulnerable nominee, but they differ on the cause: the Mail stresses polls, gas prices and Trump's rescue effort, while the Times stresses Paxton's use of public funds. Reason, the independent outlet, takes a separate angle, asking whether Paxton can survive the race after an indictment, an impeachment and scandal, and quoting Trump's remarks about candidates' looks.
How the sides differ Right sources stress Trump's rallies, Venezuelan oil and Paxton's poll deficit; left sources focus on Paxton's roughly 350 state-funded out-of-state trips; alternative sources examine his scandals.
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The New York Times centers on Paxton's roughly 350 trips outside Texas since becoming attorney general, framing them as state-funded travel that is drawing scrutiny to his Senate campaign.
Reason asks whether Paxton can survive the Senate race after indictment, impeachment and scandal. It quotes Trump's Dallas convention remarks and notes Talarico's frequent poll leads.
The Daily Mail leads with Trump's two Texas rallies, his Corpus Christi announcement of 1 million barrels of Venezuelan oil, and polls showing Paxton trailing, alongside Republican worries about gas prices.