Ken Paxton's Defense Attorney Endorses Democratic Opponent James Talarico for Texas Senate

Jun 8, 2026

Dan Cogdell, who successfully defended Ken Paxton in his 2023 impeachment trial, endorsed Democrat James Talarico on June 8, 2026 in the Texas U.S. Senate race. Paxton defeated John Cornyn in a May 2026 primary runoff after $130 million was spent in the campaign. Polling shows Talarico with a narrow lead as he seeks to become the first Democrat to win statewide in Texas in over 30 years.

Cogdell endorsement of Talarico

▪Dan Cogdell stated that Ken Paxton has lost sight of his core mission to represent the people of Texas.
▪Dan Cogdell stated that James Talarico believes in unity over division.
▪Dan Cogdell donated $1,000 to James Talarico's campaign in March 2026.
▪Dan Cogdell endorsed Democrat James Talarico on June 8, 2026 in Texas' U.S. Senate race.
▪Dan Cogdell announced his support for James Talarico in an interview on Dan Cogdell's podcast.

Cogdell's legal representation of Paxton

▪Ken Paxton's 2023 impeachment trial ended in an acquittal by the Republican-controlled Texas Senate.
▪Dan Cogdell represented Ken Paxton in Ken Paxton's long-running felony securities fraud case.
▪Dan Cogdell represented Ken Paxton in Ken Paxton's 2023 impeachment trial.
▪Prosecutors dropped the securities fraud charges against Ken Paxton in 2024 in exchange for Ken Paxton taking legal ethics courses and paying six figures in restitution.
▪Dan Cogdell represents the East Plano Islamic Center in legal proceedings.
▪Ken Paxton hired Dan Cogdell in 2015 after Ken Paxton was indicted for securities fraud.

Paxton-Talarico Senate race dynamics

▪About $130 million was spent in the Ken Paxton versus John Cornyn primary campaign, mostly to boost John Cornyn and bash Ken Paxton.
▪James Talarico is hoping to be the first Democrat to win a statewide race in Texas in over 30 years.
▪James Talarico won the Democratic primary in March 2026.
▪Ken Paxton defeated U.S. Sen. John Cornyn in a primary runoff in May 2026.

Republican criticism of Cogdell endorsement

▪The National Republican Senatorial Committee bashed Dan Cogdell as a "Trump-hating Democrat" in a since-deleted ad and social media posts from the primary.
▪Dan Cogdell gave $6,500 to Ken Paxton's Senate campaign nearly a year before June 2026.
▪Harris County vote rosters from 2024 confirm Dan Cogdell voted in the Democratic primary in 2024.
▪The Paxton campaign stated that Dan Cogdell is a Democrat and voted in the Democratic primary in 2024.

Perspective of Ken Paxton campaign

▪The Paxton campaign noted that Dan Cogdell donated $1,000 to James Talarico's campaign in March 2026, months before publicly endorsing James Talarico.