Driving the news: Attorney General Ken Paxton took the stage on night one of the Republican National Midterm Convention. He unveiled his 'Protecting the Texas Promise' plan. The pitch: put 'thousands of dollars back into your pockets.'
By the numbers: - $50,000 landmark down-payment tax deduction for homebuyers - $25,000 deduction for medical expenses - Doubled child tax credit - Tax deductions for gym memberships, nutrition plans, and doctor-prescribed GLP-1s - Trump Savings Accounts made permanent
Between the lines: Paxton leaned hard on his record. He said he sued the Biden administration 107 times — and won. 'Even CNN admitted that Texas was a legal graveyard for Biden's policies,' he told the crowd.
On his opponent: Paxton went after Democrat James Talarico by name. He called Talarico 'a Democratic socialist who never met a tax increase he didn't love.' He cited Talarico's vote to tax income in Texas. He also quoted Talarico saying he is 'a Christian who hates Christianity' and that 'God is non-binary.'
The bottom line: Paxton framed the Texas Senate race as a national inflection point. 'If we lose Texas, we lose the commonsense revolution,' he said. 'If we lose the commonsense revolution, we lose America.' The plan is built for a free-market voter: lower taxes, fewer mandates, more money staying in private hands. Talarico's record gives Paxton plenty of contrast material. The race is shaping up as a clean ideological fight.