How They DifferPaxton · Talarico 2026
A no bullshit non-partisan comparison of political candidates
Aggregate score
Paxton 2.7Talarico 6.1 T +3.4
Issues

Religion / Church-State

Ken Paxton (R)

Paxton publicly said 'In Texas classrooms, we want the Word of God opened, the Ten Commandments displayed, and prayers lifted up' after Texas SB 10 mandated such displays in 2025. When a federal judge enjoined the law in nine districts, Paxton said the rest of Texas 'must abide' by it. He has launched multiple investigations and lawsuits against Muslim organizations including CAIR, the East Plano Islamic Center, and Catholic migrant shelter Annunciation House. He issued the AG opinion declaring Blaine Amendments excluding religious schools from voucher funds unconstitutional under the Free Exercise Clause. He attends Stonebriar Community Church and frames his agenda in explicitly Christian terms.

James Talarico (D)

Talarico is a Presbyterian seminarian (Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary) studying to become a pastor. He calls himself 'a vocal critic of Christian nationalism' and 'the most vocal defender of the separation of church and state' in the Texas House. He opposes Ten Commandments mandates in classrooms, school chaplain laws, and Bible-infused public curricula, saying forcing the Commandments 'violates the most important commandment: love thy neighbor.' He has said 'the only thing worse than a tyrant is a tyrant who thinks they're on a mission from God.' He would pass the federal Do No Harm Act to prevent religious discrimination and reject policies forcing religion into neutral public spaces.

Sources

  1. Ken Paxton for U.S. Senate, official campaign issues page, accessed May 2026. (full list)
  2. Talarico for Texas, official campaign issues pages (taxes, education, healthcare, immigration, social media/AI, freedom-family-faith, public-safety-justice, corruption-democracy, labor-business), accessed May 2026. (full list)
  3. Texas Attorney General, 'Paxton Says School Choice Legal in Texas,' March 2023. (full list)
  4. CNN interview, April 2026; Breitbart coverage of Paxton-Talarico exchange, April 23, 2026. (full list)
  5. Texas Attorney General actions against CAIR, East Plano Islamic Center, and Catholic Annunciation House; ABC News and Tribune coverage, 2024-2026. (full list)