Texas Attorney Endorses James Talarico Because Ken Paxton Once Stole His Pricey Pen In Hilariously Petty New Ad

The Senate campaign of Texas Democratic state Representative James Talarico is sharing a new endorsement from a source with historic ties to his opponent, embattled MAGA Republican state Attorney General Ken Paxton.

Over a decade ago, Texas attorney Joe Joplin alleged that Paxton stole his $1,000 Montblanc pen, a gift from his wife. Joplin left the pen in a dish at a courthouse metal detector, then security cameras captured Paxton picking it up and walking away with it.

At the time, Paxton’s spokesperson claimed it was a simple mistake and Paxton returned the stolen property after Joplin reported the theft. But Joplin has now thrown his support behind Representative Talarico's Senate campaign in a new ad that includes the security footage.

Team Talarico shared the ad on social media, including the message:

"[Joe Joplin] could have pressed charges, but decided against it because Joe is a nice guy. He’d never take someone else’s pen. But he also hasn’t forgotten who took his."

You can watch the ad here:

When Talarico shared the ad on his social media, he captioned it:

"I'll never steal your pen."

In addition to the ad, Team Talarico launched a fundraiser selling $6 pens with the inscription:

"NOT KEN PAXTON’S PEN"

@teamtalaricohq/Bluesky

People praised the new campaign ad as perfectly petty.

@MoeJLong/X

And someone wondered if the Canadian comedy sketch show The Kids In The Hall had predicted the future.

Paxton, with his criminal past and allegations of adultery, has been endorsed by MAGA Republican President Donald Trump.

Birds of a feather...