KPRC's ENOUGH team checked the claims in two political ads in the Texas Senate race between Democratic candidate Rep. James Talarico and Republican candidate Attorney General Ken Paxton. The race has drawn national attention, and ads for and against both candidates have been widely seen.
One ad says Talarico supports charging parents with child abuse if they do not support their children's gender transition. The ad's disclosure says it was paid for by Texas PAC and was not authorized by any candidate or candidate's committee. Federal Election Commission filings show that in September 2026, billionaire Elon Musk gave $158 million to SLF PAC, which then gave $158 million to Texas PAC.
ENOUGH said the claim is not true based on the citations the ad itself provides. The ad points to 2019 legislation, two identical bills in the Texas House and Senate, that would have said abuse under the Texas Family Code does not include a person's willingness or unwillingness to acknowledge a child's gender identity or expression. ENOUGH said Talarico did not author the House version, House Bill 1910, which was proposed by State Rep. Jay Dean, R-Longview. The bills did not advance far, but Talarico, who served on a committee that heard the bill, voiced concerns about it at an April 2019 hearing. The ad cites a Houston Chronicle article quoting him at that hearing.