Fox News pundit Emily Compagno appeared to lose her cool Friday while warning of the “real damage” a Texas Democrat could cause if he beats his Republican opponent in upcoming midterms.
Responding to James Talarico’s description of the American flag as a “complicated” symbol for many Americans, a comment that was aired in a conservative PAC’s attack ad, Compagno told Texas voters they should be downright afraid of the Democratic Senate hopeful.
“Every single voter [in Texas] needs to understand exactly who they would vote into office, which is an anti-business, anti-commerce, anti-capitalist, anti-Texas Texan,” she said.
“So if they know what is good for them, it’s to permeate that messaging deep into the red state of Texas so that they know, ‘Oh it’s not just some Democrat.’”
Talarico, 37, has given Democrats the best chance they’ve had in years to flip a Texas Senate seat, with a poll earlier this week showing that Talarico was neck and neck with Republican nominee Ken Paxton, the state’s controversial attorney general. That closeness has some Republicans panicking, while others have gone all in on portraying Talarico as “radical” and “weak.”
Compagno added a new entry to the list.
“This person is a demon in human skin and they need to make sure he does not go anywhere—to the nation’s capital, where he can actually do some real damage other than his horrible words that he keeps spewing," she said Friday.
Talarico’s opponent won the Republican primary over incumbent John Cornyn, a four-time senator who ran afoul of President Donald Trump.
Trump, 80, threw his support behind Paxton in the primary, delivering him the MAGA base.
But Paxton isn’t popular among independents, and Talarico is pulling in more than 60 percent of Hispanic voters too.
It’s a situation that could see a genuine upset in the Senate, where the margins are already razor thin. As Republicans face up to potentially losing their House majority in November, losing Senate seats like Texas could put the upper house into play as well.
Trump, too, seems rattled by Talarico’s success. In a messsage on Truth Social after Paxton won the Republican primary, he would not use Talarico’s name, instead calling him “Alfred E. Neuman,” the name of the caricature boy on MAD magazine.
“The worst TEXAS candidate I have ever seen,” Trump said of Talarico. “A strong Open Borders advocate, he is WEAK ON CRIME, believes there are 6 genders, is insulting to Jesus Christ, will never support the Military, was a big Mask Wearer until recently, and is a Vegan who dislikes meat, not exactly a good way to be if you’re wanting to win an Election in Texas.”
Asked what he made of Compagno’s attack, a spokesman for Talarico said: “Our campaign can confirm that James is in fact a human, and not a demon in human skin.
“James believes the American flag means freedom, opportunity, and hope—and this broken, corrupt political system is robbing hardworking Texans of the American dream that our flag promises," Campaign spokesman JT Ennis said.
