U.S. Senate candidate Ken Paxton’s former criminal defense attorney has thrown his backing behind Democrat James Talarico in that race, saying his former client “lost sight of his core mission,” political news outlet NOTUS reports.
Houston-based attorney Dan Cogdell represented Paxton, Texas’ Republican Attorney General, during his 2023 impeachment trial and also in a felony securities fraud case that dragged on for years. Despite that relationship, Cogdell told NOTUS that Talarico, an Austin-area state rep, is the right choice for Texas.
“And unlike Ken, I believe to my core that James Talarico believes in unity over division and that he knows how to assemble not only Democrats, but Independents and Republicans, and we need that right now,” Cogdell told NOTUS.
Codgell donated $6,500 to Paxton’s U.S. Senate campaign last year. However, the attorney subsequently contributed $1,000 to Talarico’s war chest in March, NOTUS reports, citing federal reports.
“Republicans have had control of Texas for 30 years. Enough is enough,” Cogdell told The Hill. “We are last in the country in healthcare, bottom for education, first in school shootings, first in most uninsured.”
Cogdell’s public support for Talarico isn’t the first time he’s called out a high-profile Republican leader. Last year, the attorney referred to President Donald Trump as the “greatest threat to Democracy.”
Despite Codgell’s GOP ties, Talarco’s campaign welcomed the endorsement.
“Even if you’re Ken Paxton’s impeachment lawyer, you have a place in this campaign,” Talarico said in a statement.
Sign Up for SA Current newsletters.
Follow us: Apple News | Google News | NewsBreak | Reddit | Instagram | Facebook | Twitter | Or sign up for our RSS Feed
