Dan Cogdell, a Houston-based lawyer who previously defended Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton against criminal charges and represented him during his 2023 impeachment trial, has endorsed Paxton’s Democratic opponent, James Talarico, in the U.S. Senate race.
Cogdell believes that Paxton has shifted away from his core mission of representing the people of Texas. In contrast, Cogdell praised Talarico for focusing on unity and bringing together both Democrats and some Republicans, which he sees as a crucial need at the moment.
Cogdell made the endorsement public on Monday during a podcast interview with Talarico. The interview was recorded last month, just after Paxton’s victory over Senator John Cornyn in the Republican primary.
This endorsement supports Talarico’s message since Paxton’s primary win, aimed at appealing to Republican voters who supported Cornyn, by suggesting they would be welcomed in Talarico’s campaign. Talarico emphasized this by stating in the podcast, “I’m not interested in pitting people against each other.”
Though Cogdell previously made the maximum legal contribution to Paxton’s Senate campaign last year, he has since reconsidered. In an interview with The New York Times on Monday, Cogdell expressed concerns over Paxton’s strong alignment with President Trump.
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