FIRST ON FOX: The country’s largest union of Border Patrol officers is now backing Ken Paxton for Senate after having previously endorsed Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, in the Republican primary.
In a statement shared with Fox News Digital, Paul Perez, president of the National Border Patrol Council, said the union is "proud" to endorse Paxton, "because we know he will continue fighting for the resources, policies, and leadership our agents need to keep America’s borders secure."
This comes as Paxton, Texas’ current attorney general, continues to consolidate GOP support after what was a particularly bruising primary. Meanwhile, according to a recent poll, Democratic candidate James Talarico is running dead even with Paxton, giving Democrats hope he can be the first to flip a Texas Senate seat blue for the first time in nearly four decades.
An upset like that would be devastating for the GOP’s hopes of retaining a majority in the upper chamber.
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Once seen as the outsider candidate, Paxton soared to victory over Cornyn after a last-minute endorsement from President Donald Trump in the May primary runoff. Other Republican leaders who once backed Cornyn have rushed to Paxton’s support, such as Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-N.D., who said he was "all in" for Paxton.
Though he previously backed Cornyn, Perez spoke very highly of the attorney general, saying, "We know Ken Paxton stands with the men and women of the National Border Patrol Council who are on the frontlines protecting our borders, and he has always fought to uphold the rule of law."
He added that "while many looked the other way during the Biden border crisis, Attorney General Ken Paxton has taken action to defend our state, our nation’s sovereignty and to support those on the front lines."
A close Trump ally, Paxton was one of the most prolific state attorneys general in suing the federal government under former President Joe Biden. In total, Paxton sued the Biden administration more than 100 times. With Texas comprising over 60% of the U.S. southern border, many of Paxton’s suits against the Biden administration were related to border security. He even sued the Biden administration on his last day in office over offshore drilling limits.
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Paxton responded that he is "honored to earn the endorsement."
"No one understands the consequences of open-border policies better than the brave men and women serving on the front lines every day," he said.
"As Attorney General, I have spent years fighting the Biden administration's unlawful immigrant agenda, defending Texas’ right to secure our border, and standing with law enforcement officers," he continued. "I will continue that fight by ensuring President Trump’s border security agenda is fully implemented, funded, and never undermined by partisan politics."
Meanwhile, JT Ennis, a spokesperson for Talarico's campaign, told Fox News Digital that "both parties have failed us on the border."
Ennis said that Talarico "supports stronger border security" and that he is "the only candidate in this race to unveil a border security agenda endorsed by Republicans and Democrats that will add more border patrol agents and improve technology at the border to better detect threats."
On Monday, Talarico unveiled what he is calling his "commonsense border security agenda," which was endorsed by several Republican, Democrat, and Independent border sheriffs and elected officials. According to the campaign, the agenda includes hiring more Border Patrol agents, improving threat detection technology and hiring more immigration judges.
Ennis remarked that "James is running for Senate to keep our country safe by deporting criminals instead of hunting down moms, babies, and small business owners who have been contributing to our economy for decades."
A 37-year-old former middle school teacher and Presbyterian seminarian, Talarico has emerged as the top Democratic fundraiser in Senate races, hauling in a massive $27 million in the first three months of this year.
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Talarico and Paxton are tied at 47% support among likely voters in Texas, according to a New York Times/Siena survey released in late June.
Paxton, however, has asserted that "Talarico doesn't belong in Texas," saying, "He fits in California. He does not fit here."
In the same vein, Republicans have repeatedly spotlighted Talarico's past controversial comments, including saying that "God is nonbinary," that there are six biological sexes and saying he thinks of himself as a Christian who "hates Christianity."
Talarico has also been dinged for saying that "our southern border should be like our front porch. There should be a giant welcome mat out front, and a lock on the door."
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