WEATHERFORD, Texas — Vice President JD Vance delivered a combative closing argument for Republican Senate hopeful Ken Paxton on Thursday, telling a crowd of North Texas supporters that the state would not yield to progressive pressure.
“I need you to send a message on November the 3rd that America belongs to those who love it, not those who hate,” Vance said, drawing cheers from hundreds packed into a construction facility west of Fort Worth. He framed the race as a stand against far-left activism and Democratic state Rep. James Talarico, Paxton’s challenger.
“I need you to tell James Talarico that this weird obsession with trans kids is not good for the state of Texas,” Vance continued. “I need you to send the message to every far-left activist, to everybody who expects Texas to surrender, that in five days Texas is not surrendering a damn thing.”
The event, which drew an overflow crowd watching on a jumbotron outside, saw Vance take repeated swipes at Talarico on cultural flashpoints, including masculinity and transgender athletes in women’s sports. He also sought to turn energy policy into a wedge issue, an area where Republicans have struggled with messaging amid the ongoing U.S. conflict with Iran that has pushed up fuel costs.
“It takes a certain kind of audacity for Democrats like James Talarico to say that Texas energy jobs are immoral, which is what he has said, and then to run talking about the price of gas,” Vance said. “Right here in Texas, we can make more of our own energy, drill more of our own energy.”
Vance also touted a new Department of Agriculture investment in a beef processing facility in Texas, crediting Paxton and Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins. “Because thanks to Ken’s advocacy and thanks, importantly, to Brooke Rollins’s hustle, the Department of Agriculture is devoting millions to the opening of a new beef processing facility right here in Texas,” he told supporters.
The vice president’s visit is part of a broader Republican push in the final stretch. Trump and Vance have fanned out across the South to boost Paxton, who has trailed in recent polls. A CNN survey released Thursday showed Talarico leading Paxton 49 percent to 43 percent among registered voters.
Vance had previously campaigned in Tyler, Texas, earlier this month. The stakes are high, as the race could influence which party controls the Senate and the direction of state politics for years. Paxton’s campaign has leaned heavily on national Republican figures to close the gap, but Talarico’s lead suggests the contest remains competitive.
With Election Day just days away, Vance’s fiery language underscored the GOP’s urgency in Texas, a state that has been reliably Republican but where demographic shifts and suburban dynamics have made races tighter. The vice president’s message resonated with the crowd, which chanted “JD” as he took the stage, but whether it will translate into votes remains to be seen.
