Dan Cogdell, a Houston attorney who was part of Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s defense team during his impeachment trial in 2023, has endorsed Democrat James Talarico in the U.S. Senate race. Cogdell, who described himself as a moderate and a registered Democrat, said he worked hard for Paxton for nine years but felt the attorney general was too focused on appeasing President Donald Trump.

Endorsement

Cogdell’s endorsement is significant, given his history with Paxton. However, an aide to Paxton’s campaign downplayed the endorsement, saying Cogdell is a Democrat and that the endorsement was unsurprising. The lead defense attorney in Paxton’s impeachment trial, Tony Buzbee, also reiterated his support for Paxton.

Talarico has given Democrats hope of flipping the statewide seat in Texas blue as the party scrambles to retake control of the U.S. Senate in November. Paxton’s insurgent campaign beat Sen. John Cornyn in the Republican Senate primary runoff last month, helped by a Trump endorsement in the final days of the race.

Original reporting: Texarkana Gazette — read the source article.