<p class="wp-block-paragraph">President Donald Trump urged Texas voters to support state Attorney General Ken Paxton in his Senate campaign against Democrat James Talarico during a campaign event in Denton on Thursday. Polls indicate that the race is competitive.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">“We need Ken so badly, and that’s why I’m here. I wanted to stop here,” Trump stated at the Peterbilt Motors facility. He expressed concerns about Talarico, saying, “It would be such a horror to the system to put a guy, a freak like that in there, would be such a horror to … your state and such a horror to the country.”</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Republicans have invested over $300 million to support Paxton, while Democrats aim to flip the Senate seat. The Texas PAC, linked to Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD), has contributed $131 million to Paxton's campaign, according to federal filings.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">The Cook Political Report rates the race as a toss-up, with Democrats hoping that dissatisfaction with the economy and high gas prices will aid their efforts to win a seat that has been held by the GOP for decades. The last Democrat elected to the Senate from Texas was Lloyd Bentsen in 1988.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Trump characterized Talarico as too radical for Texas, asking, “Even if they had a good opponent, I’d be for Ken because he proved himself.”</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Despite concerns regarding Paxton's scandals and Trump's administration, Trump asserted, “We need the votes, and I’m here for that, and I think we’re going to win. Every place I’ve gone, we win.”</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">However, many polls indicate that voters hold Trump accountable for the Iran war, which has contributed to rising gas and diesel prices. This has prompted some Republican lawmakers to advocate for an end to the war or to distance themselves from Trump, whose approval ratings have declined. Paxton continues to emphasize Trump's support and appeared with him in Denton.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Paxton expressed disappointment that the midterm convention in Dallas did not improve his polling against Talarico, according to leaked audio reported by the New York Times.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">On Thursday, Trump claimed that under his leadership, the economy is thriving, stating, “We have literally the greatest numbers. There are more people working in the United States right now than at any time in the history of the United States by far. More people working. We have the best poverty numbers, the lowest numbers on poverty in the history of our country.”</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Trump is increasing his campaign travel this month, with stops planned in traditionally Republican states such as Texas, Oklahoma, Alabama, and Nebraska. Sources close to the White House dismissed suggestions that Trump's schedule reflects concerns about these states becoming less secure for the GOP.</p>