Talarico Courts Texas Centrists as Plano ISD Backs Arena

Democratic Senate candidate James Talarico told a CNN town hall Wednesday night that Texans are “all on the same team.” For roughly 80 minutes, he fielded questions about abortion, debt, immigration and the limits of government. His Republican opponent, state Attorney General Ken Paxton, didn’t show.

The event offered a revealing look at how a Democrat in a red state is trying to shed the left-wing label his opponents want to pin on him. Talarico, a 37-year-old former public-school teacher and Presbyterian seminarian student, is seeking to become the first Democrat elected to the U.S. Senate from Texas since 1988.

The Town Hall Test

On fiscal questions, Talarico used language that sounded more like a deficit hawk’s than a progressive’s. An independent voter asked how he’d pay for healthcare and education investments as federal debt obligations climb. “We are stealing from future generations. It is intergenerational theft,” Talarico said. He argued that closing tax loopholes benefiting billionaires and wealthy Americans, along with pursuing a more restrained foreign policy, could reduce the deficit. “Let me say something that a lot of Democrats aren’t willing to say,” he said. “We should be looking for efficiency in our government.” He added that Democrats should act as stewards of taxpayer dollars.

He also faced questions about his record. Asked whether the Bible is “the absolute source of truth and God’s final authoritative word,” he answered, “Yes.” When confronted with earlier remarks calling God nonbinary, he conceded, “I was being provocative, and I want to admit that and come clean about that.”

On immigration, Talarico rejected claims that he wants to abolish U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. “No, and I never have,” he said. “We need Immigration and Customs Enforcement in this country.” He said enforcement should target violent criminals, gang members and cartels. On transgender healthcare, he said he supports barring gender-transition surgeries for minors but opposed the final Texas legislation because it went further. He also defended his support for abortion rights, saying the state’s ban created dangerous outcomes for women facing medical emergencies.

Paxton skipped the town hall and announced a statewide bus tour starting Saturday. “Texans don’t back down, and neither do I,” he wrote on X. He accused Talarico of having “tried to dismantle the oil and gas industry” and of waging a “war on Texas energy.” Newsweek said it reached out to Paxton’s campaign for comment.

A Tight Race

A Marist poll released Wednesday put Talarico ahead of Paxton, 47 percent to 45 percent, among likely voters—within the 4.9-point margin of error. Among registered voters, his lead narrowed to 4 points, down from 6 a month earlier. Paxton’s favorability sits 22 points underwater: 34 percent view him favorably and 56 percent unfavorably. Yet 53 percent of likely voters still expect Paxton to win. Vice President JD Vance rallied for Paxton in East Texas on Tuesday, days after President Donald Trump held a rally in San Antonio.

Plano ISD Puts School Tax Dollars Behind an Arena

In North Texas, a separate fight over public money is unfolding. Plano ISD says it will contribute up to $250 million toward a proposed Dallas Stars arena at the former Shops at Willow Bend site, on top of the $700 million the city has proposed. The money comes through a tax increment reinvestment zone, or TIRZ. The district says its contribution will come from a portion of future tax revenue generated by new development in the zone, not from existing classroom funds.

The district expects to contribute over an estimated 18 years, with the funds going into a city-administered pot for public improvements. Plano ISD says adjustments to what it owes the state under the “recapture” system, often called “Robin Hood,” should offset the agreement. The district projects receiving about $438 million over the same period, or $188 million more than it puts in. Those figures are projections, not guarantees. The city’s $700 million would come from a venue tax voters will decide on in the upcoming election.

The district approved the agreement in August, and the Plano City Council approved it Oct. 12. The deal could also allow the district to hold graduation ceremonies at the arena instead of the Ford Center at The Star in Frisco.

Not everyone supports the plan. “I really am not too keen on the idea of moving money away from the schools,” said Bryan Beck, a lifelong Plano resident. Finance expert Sriram Villapura posed a sharper question: “Will the Plano ISD really benefit?” He said the answer depends on enrollment. “If there is better enrollment, yes, they’ll benefit from the extra money. Otherwise, I’m not very sure what’s the point of that extra money coming back to Plano ISD from the new tax base. My concern is that it could potentially be more money might be going out of Plano ISD.”

Plano ISD projects the redevelopment could grow its tax base by $7.3 billion, but says the outcome depends on future property values, economic conditions and state law.

Why This Matters:

Both stories come down to a question taxpayers keep asking: who’s accountable for the money? In the Senate race, a Democrat is describing debt as “intergenerational theft” and talking about government efficiency—a sign that fiscal discipline still resonates with the independents both parties are pursuing. Texas voters will weigh whether that rhetoric matches Talarico’s voting record. In Plano, a school district is tying its finances to long-range projections that, by its own admission, aren’t guaranteed. If the arena underdelivers, local taxpayers and students bear the risk, not the private team. Voters will decide the $700 million venue tax at the ballot box.