Republicans have zeroed in on Democrat James Talarico’s voting record and connections, framing his opposition to bills like SB 17 and SB 667 as evidence that he sided with policies helping Chinese interests, and they’re using land purchases, legal history, and high-profile events to make the case to voters ahead of a closely watched Senate race.
Republicans are sharpening a campaign narrative that centers on national security and Texas sovereignty, and they’ve singled out James Talarico for votes they say undermined efforts to block foreign adversaries from buying sensitive land and doing business with the state. The criticism focuses on two specific roll calls: Talarico’s opposition to SB 17, which limited property purchases by nationals of adversarial countries, and SB 667, aimed at stopping state agencies from contracting with entities tied to those same countries. The party argues those votes are not abstract policy disputes but real vulnerabilities tied to land and data.
Ken Paxton staged a public event outside Joint Base San Antonio-Randolph in Universal City to underline the point and to make the argument visual and local. He presented the vote pattern as part of a pattern that, in his view, left Texas exposed to outside influence and economic encroachment. That event was meant to spotlight proximity concerns where foreign land ownership sits near important installations and border regions, turning a legislative vote into a tangible public-safety frame for voters.
The campaign is leaning on hard numbers to drive the message home, pointing to more than 160,000 acres of Texas land reportedly owned by Chinese nationals, including over 100,000 acres near Laughlin Air Force Base. Those figures are being used to argue that the stakes are more than symbolic and that land close to military installations and strategic infrastructure should be beyond easy foreign purchase. Republicans are using acreage totals and location details to create urgency and a simple narrative voters can grasp at the local level.
At the Randolph event Paxton did not hold back in his language, leveling a blunt charge at his rival that the campaign wants to stick. “James Talarico sold Texas out to China,” Paxton told supporters, and he added, “I don’t think that James Talarico is confused, I think that’s just who he is.” Those lines are being repeated in ads and rallies where Republicans aim to paint Talarico as aligned with outside interests rather than focused on Texas priorities.
https://x.com/JoeChalfant/status/2092246517536989329
Beyond land purchases, Paxton has also highlighted his own record taking legal and administrative steps he says protect Texans from Chinese influence, including an initiative focused on stopping Texans’ data from ending up in hostile hands. The campaign emphasizes lawsuits and policy pushes tied to data privacy and state contracting to show a contrast: Paxton as the aggressive defender of state interests versus Talarico as the lawmaker whose votes, in their telling, opened doors. That contrast is the spine of the messaging being rolled out across the state.
National conservative groups and elected Republicans have amplified the theme, and Texas has become a testing ground for ads that link Talarico to communist China in order to sway undecided voters. Senator Ted Cruz and allied organizations have begun running spots and outreach that echo the Paxton framing, increasing the media noise and giving the argument a national resonance. The combined push aims to move the debate from legislative minutiae to a security-and-sovereignty storyline voters understand quickly.
Strategically, the campaign is making the math part of the political pitch: land totals, vote records, and timelines that compress into a simple question for voters about who will protect Texas. Republicans believe that when you place those facts side by side, it gives them an advantage in a race where perception matters as much as policy. The messaging is aimed at both rural communities worried about land and urban voters concerned about data and supply chains.
The calendar adds pressure: Paxton and Talarico are set to face off in just 70 days, a short runway for both candidates to define themselves to a broad electorate. With national groups pouring resources into the state and local events designed to crystallize the argument, Republicans are betting that a focused message about foreign influence and concrete examples will resonate. The fight will likely stay centered on those votes, the acreage numbers, and the question of which candidate voters trust to guard Texas interests.
