AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — A Houston defense attorney who spent nearly ten years representing Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton against corruption and securities fraud charges has announced his backing for Democrat James Talarico in a major U.S. Senate contest.
On Monday, Talarico’s campaign highlighted receiving support from Dan Cogdell, a Houston lawyer who served on Paxton’s legal team during the Republican’s landmark 2023 impeachment proceedings that resulted in his acquittal.
While Paxton’s history of legal issues forms a key component of Talarico’s campaign strategy, Cogdell’s endorsement did not reference worries about his former client’s legal past.
According to Cogdell, he holds no personal animosity toward Paxton and believes Texas legislators made the correct decision in clearing the attorney general. However, from a political standpoint, Cogdell expressed concern that Paxton prioritizes satisfying President Donald Trump over other considerations.
“I worked my ass off for the man for nine years,” Cogdell told The Associated Press during an interview. “But that’s a different inquiry, my obligation to Ken ended at the courthouse steps and my obligation as a citizen is to do what I think is the right thing.”
Cogdell emphasized that Texas faces significant challenges in areas like education and healthcare, “and to simply bootlick or rubber stamp Trump, that’s not what we need in D.C. right now.” He also recently conducted an extended interview with Talarico on Cogdell’s podcast.
When contacted for a response, a campaign representative for Paxton noted that Cogdell is a Democrat and characterized the endorsement as predictable.
Tony Buzbee, who served as lead counsel during Paxton’s impeachment trial, echoed this sentiment on X while announcing his own support for Paxton in the race.
Cogdell acknowledged his Democratic registration, though Texas does not require voters to register by party affiliation. He clarified that he views himself as a moderate who has historically donated more campaign funds to Republican rather than Democratic candidates.
Talarico has energized Democratic hopes for turning the statewide Texas seat blue as the party works to regain U.S. Senate control this November.
Paxton’s outsider campaign defeated Sen. John Cornyn in last month’s Republican Senate primary runoff, boosted by a Trump endorsement in the race’s final stretch.
