By Gromer Jeffers Jr.
The Dallas Morning News
(TNS)
(Aug. 5) ALLEN — For months, Republican Senate nominee Ken Paxton has called Democratic rival James Talarico too liberal for Texas. Now, he’s adding a different pitch to voters: that Washington has made everyday life too expensive and that he has a plan to lower the cost of raising a family.
“We want to make it easier for you to take care of your children,” Paxton told hundreds of people jammed late Tuesday into Matt’s Rancho Martinez about his proposal to increase child tax credits.
Paxton, the attorney general, spent just over three minutes discussing his economic plan before pivoting to ferocious attacks on Talarico that have become a staple of his campaign stump speech.
He said the “fake Talarico” is trying to convince voters he’s a moderate, but the “real Talarico” is out of step with most Texans because he is against fully funding the police, supports transgender women playing in women’s sports and has said God is nonbinary.
“The fate of the entire country depends on how this election turns out,” Paxton said. “It’s about whether we keep the Senate, or whether we’re going to tell the rest of the world that we’ve elected a socialist.”
In a statement, Talarico’s campaign said “the idea that Ken Paxton, a multimillionaire who owns 15 properties, has suddenly decided to care about Texans’ pocketbooks on his 479th day of running for U.S. Senate is laughable.”
Paxton developed his economic plan even as President Donald Trump has dismissed concerns about affordability, calling it a Democratic Party “hoax,” a “made up word” and “con job.”
His rally in Allen is the first leg of a four-city tour touting his economic plan. Other scheduled stops include Houston, San Antonio and McAllen.
Paxton unveiled the proposal last week with an ad, and blamed Washington for “making it harder than ever to get ahead,” adding that the American Dream is slipping away as the cost of everything from housing to health care rises.”
The key components of Paxton’s plan would grant new tax breaks for health care expenses, housing down payments and family benefits.
His proposals include:
- A $25,000 tax deduction for out-of-pocket medical expenses and an additional $25,000 deduction for dependents. He also proposed a $5,000 tax deduction for “healthy lifestyle” expenses, including gym-related costs, nutrition plans and GLP-1 medication.
- Making permanent the savings accounts created by Trump in last year’s tax and spending bill. The accounts allow family members and employers to deposit money that can’t be withdrawn until the child turns 18. Children born between Jan. 1, 2025, and Dec. 31, 2028, are eligible to receive $1,000 from the federal government for the accounts.
- Doubling the Child Tax Credit, increasing the maximum credit to $4,400 per child. He also proposed a $50,000 tax deduction for first-time homebuyers and another $50,000 deduction for people who move to a new primary residence.
Democrats and Republicans have discussed how to bring relief to American families dealing with the higher cost of goods and services, making it the rare bipartisan election-year issue.
Senate Democrats proposed increasing the Child Tax Credit last year, and Talarico has likewise proposed an increase.
Talarico’s platform includes other measures aimed at affordability, including increasing taxes on billionaires and corporations, raising the minimum wage, creating a federal public health insurance program and targeting corporate landlords that inflate rents.
The Democratic state representative is in Arlington for a rally Wednesday to announce his “New American Dream” agenda.
Tax-cut match
Paxton’s plan didn’t offer any details on how to pay for the tax breaks or what they would cost the federal government to implement.
He did say tax cuts would put more money in the pockets of Americans and in the process improve the economy.
“I never believe that tax cuts necessarily mean you have less money in the treasury, because often if people are able to keep more of their money, they spend it, and it runs through the economy,” he told reporters in Allen.
Paxton acknowledged that “we’ve obviously had inflation,” but blamed it on the Biden administration.
He said whether it’s the higher costs of groceries or the lack of home ownership, many Americans are struggling. “We need to do what we can to help regular Texas families get through it,” he said.
It was the largest North Texas gathering of his Senate campaign, according to backers who said they have been to them all. The room was so packed that the buzz of the crowd made his remarks nearly inaudible.
He was introduced by state Rep. Jeff Leach, R-Allen, who was one of the prosecutors in Paxton’s 2023 Senate impeachment trial and a supporter of Sen. John Cornyn in the contentious GOP primary.
“Let’s come together, let’s fight, and let’s win,” Leach said.
Photo caption: Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton speaks with attendees at the 2024 AmericaFest at the Phoenix Convention Center in Phoenix, AZ. (Gage Skidmore/Wikimedia Commons)
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© 2026 The Dallas Morning News. Visit www.dallasnews.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency LLC.
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Tags: James Talarico, Ken Paxton, Senate, tax cuts, Taxes, Texas
