Ken Paxton Just Tried To Shame James Talarico For Naming His Favorite Drag Queen—And It Backfired Instantly

Texas Attorney General and Republican Senate nominee Ken Paxton was widely mocked online after he attempted to smear his Democratic challenger James Talarico for being able to name his favorite drag queen so "quickly."

When a reporter asked him who his favorite drag queen is, Talarico named Alyssa Edwards, who rose to prominence after competing as a contestant on the fifth season of RuPaul's Drag Race. Edwards, who lives in Dallas County, also competed on and won the first season of RuPaul's Drag Race Global All Stars.

Paxton, who has previously argued that that Talarico is unfit to represent Texans partly because of his supposed veganism—a claim also pushed by President Donald Trump—said the fact Talarico can name his favorite drag queen so "quickly" means he is not a "normal person.""

He shared footage of Talarico's remarks on X, writing:

"What normal person can name their favorite drag queen this quickly? When James Talarico isn’t advocating for children to dress in drag, he’s watching drag performances and saying that Texas produces the best drag queens."

"James Talarico is too weird and too radical for Texas."

You can see Paxton's post and hear what Talarico said in the video below.

Paxton's claim was his latest attempt to smear Talarico for publicly backing the LGBTQ+ community.

For months, the right-wing has claimed Talarico wants to "mutilate children," criticizing him for condemning efforts to roll back gender-affirming care and other protections. Talarico has said he "loves" transgender children who continue to "advocate for their own humanity" despite culture war attacks.

As a result, Paxton and his supporters have amplified remarks by President Donald Trump, who previously described Talarico as an “effeminate, estrogenetic, catty, and totally embarrassing” candidate.

But Paxton's post backfired, considering it brought more attention to Talarico's remarks, which flattered Edwards, who cited the Book of Matthew, which states "Do not judge, or you too will be judged."

Edwards wrote:

"Your favorite politician’s favorite Drag Queen. Thank you @jamestalarico for recognizing that the arts have a purpose and a home right here in the Lone Star State."

You can see her post below.

Others have mocked Paxton in response after it became clear his post had garnered the exact opposite reaction.

Paxton's going to have to do a lot better than that if he wants to see the GOP do well in Texas—but judging by the tepid response to the party's midterm convention, his political days might be numbered.

We hope Talarico next announces when he and Edwards will join forces.