Pence warned Republicans have drifted from ‘historic conservatism,’ while Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear said Democrats see an opening in Texas with Talarico.
By Gromer Jeffers Jr.
Dallas Morning News
https://www.dallasnews.com/
Former Vice President Mike Pence declined Sunday to say whether he supports Senate nominee Ken Paxton, sidestepping questions about the Republican’s legal and ethical troubles while saying the GOP has “lost our way.”
Appearing on NBC’s Meet the Press, Pence said Republicans have drifted from what he described as “historic conservatism,” blaming the party’s growing embrace of populism, tariffs and a more isolationist foreign policy.
“In many respects, Republicans have lost our way,” Pence said.
Asked repeatedly whether he supports Paxton, Pence instead attacked Democratic nominee James Talarico and said Democrats have “lost their mind.”
“If I was voting in Texas, I could never vote for the Democrat nominee Talarico, who is a radical left,” he said.
Pence’s comments come as Republicans seek to rally behind Paxton after his decisive win over Sen. John Cornyn in last week’s runoff. The exchange highlighted the divide between traditional conservatives and a MAGA movement that has reshaped the GOP.
Pence did not criticize Paxton directly. He said the attorney general’s runoff victory was no surprise, pointing to President Donald Trump’s endorsement as the latest sign of the president’s continued influence over the party. Pence served as Trump’s vice president from 2017 to 2021.
In a break with Trump, Pence criticized the Justice Department’s proposed $1.8 billion fund for people who say they were unfairly targeted by the government, slamming it as “a bad idea from the start” and urging the administration to abandon it.
As for the fall campaign, he said Republicans are likely to hold the Senate and have “a real shot” at keeping the House because of what he called “the extremism on the Democratic side.”
On the same program, Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear, a Democrat viewed as a potential 2028 presidential contender, said his party has a rare opportunity to compete for the Texas seat because years of allegations still hang over Paxton.
“Texas is in play,” Beshear said. “Democrats have never run against a candidate like Ken Paxton that is so corrupt that his own party impeached him.”
Beshear praised Talarico, an Austin state representative, for focusing on lowering costs and helping families, while saying Paxton “would use his office to enrich himself” and “would be a rubber stamp for the president.”
During the campaign, Cornyn said Paxton was unfit for office and would be a risky general election nominee. He targeted Paxton over his 2015 securities fraud indictment, a 2023 impeachment by the Republican-led Texas House and a highly publicized divorce in which his wife has accused him of adultery.
After his defeat, Cornyn shared online the fable of the frog carrying a scorpion across a river, only for the scorpion to sting the frog midway through the journey, dooming them both.
The senator did not explain the post, leaving open whether it reflected his views of Trump, Paxton or the direction of the Republican Party.
Political Writer
The Howard University graduate and Chicago native has covered four presidential campaigns and written extensively about local, state and national politics. Before The News, he was a reporter at The Kansas City Star and The Chicago Defender. You can catch Gromer every Sunday at 8:30 a.m. on NBC 5’s Lone Star Politics.
