Republican Ken Paxton and Democrat James Talarico are finishing a contentious and expensive race for the U.S. Senate seat in Texas. The KERA News story says both have proposed policies on the campaign trail, but partisan gridlock in the Senate may make those policies hard to pass. The winner would become the junior senator from Texas.
The story says the title carries weight, but the junior seat is not necessarily the strongest position for changing laws or winning seats on powerful committees. Talarico, a state representative, would be the first Democrat elected to the U.S. Senate from Texas in decades, the story says. It notes he has been mentioned as a possible 2028 vice presidential candidate. Paxton has used the Texas attorney general's office to pursue conservative social causes and Trump's agenda.
Joshua Blank, research director at the Texas Politics Project at the University of Texas at Austin, said Paxton likely had more influence as attorney general than he would as a freshman senator. Blank also said politicians often seek higher prominence, and candidates from other offices tend to run when seats open up higher on the ticket.