Ken Paxton's Former Defense Attorney Dan Cogdell Endorses Democrat James Talarico in Texas Senate Race
Houston attorney Dan Cogdell, who spent nearly a decade defending Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton against corruption charges and through his 2023 impeachment trial, has endorsed Democrat James Talarico in the Texas U.S. Senate race. Cogdell said his obligation to Paxton ended at the courthouse and that Paxton is too focused on appeasing Donald Trump rather than addressing Texas's needs in education and healthcare. The endorsement adds symbolic weight to a race that multiple polls show is unexpectedly competitive, with Talarico leading or tied with Paxton in several surveys.
Dan Cogdell, a Houston-based defense attorney who represented Ken Paxton for nearly a decade through securities fraud charges and a historic 2023 impeachment trial that ended in acquittal, announced his endorsement of Democratic state Representative James Talarico on Monday. Cogdell said he still respects Paxton personally and believes the Texas Senate was right to acquit him, but argued that as a politician Paxton is too focused on 'bootlicking' and rubber-stamping President Trump rather than addressing Texas's challenges in education and healthcare. Paxton's campaign dismissed the endorsement as unsurprising, noting Cogdell is a Democrat, while lead impeachment defense attorney Tony Buzbee countered that he is supporting Paxton. Cogdell described himself as a registered Democrat but said he considers himself a moderate who has historically donated more to Republicans than Democrats — a nuance Texas voters cannot verify through party registration since the state does not register voters by party. The endorsement comes as multiple polls show the race is surprisingly close: a Reconnaissance Market Research/Siena poll has Talarico leading 47–44, a Texas A&M/ReconMR poll shows them tied at 46 percent each, and a Quantus Insights poll shows Paxton up 2 points, all within margins of error. Paxton won the Republican primary runoff over incumbent Senator John Cornyn last month with a late Trump endorsement, but his high unfavorable ratings — 54 percent in some polls — and past scandals have given Democrats unusual optimism about flipping a seat Texas has not sent a Democrat to the Senate since 1988.
What's missing
The articles do not detail the current fundraising totals or spending gap between the Talarico and Paxton campaigns, which could significantly affect the race's competitiveness beyond polling.
How coverage differed
Left-leaning outlets (The Guardian, PBS, NYT) and centrist outlets (The Hill, ABC News) largely reported the Cogdell endorsement story in a straightforward, AP-wire manner with similar framing. The Independent used more dramatic language ('poll shocker,' 'scandal-ridden') and emphasized Republican attacks on Talarico. Breitbart focused exclusively on Talarico's counterattack against Paxton and Cruz on masculinity, ignoring the Cogdell endorsement entirely, reflecting a framing more favorable to Republican attack lines.
What different sources said
- PBS NewsHourLeft
Ken Paxton's attorney in his impeachment trial endorses Democrat James Talarico in U.S. Senate race
- The GuardianLeft
Ken Paxton’s ex-lawyer endorses rival James Talarico in Texas Senate race
Ken Paxton’s Former Defense Lawyer Endorses James Talarico
- The HillCenter
Paxton's impeachment defense lawyer backs Talarico for Texas Senate
- ABC News PoliticsCenter
Paxton's impeachment trial attorney endorses Talarico in Senate race
- BreitbartFar Right
Talarico: Ken Paxton, Ted Cruz Are in No Position to Tell Anybody What a Real Man Is
- NewsweekCenter
James Talarico’s Chances of Beating Ken Paxton in Texas Get Boost—Poll
- The IndependentLeft
Trump’s chosen Texas Senate candidate loses to Democrat derided as ‘Tofu Talarico’ in election poll shocker
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