FROM RED TO BLUE

MAGA Mega Donor Flips to Back Red-State Dem

A top donor has made a shocking revelation about who he is supporting in a crucial midterm election.

A top donor to Republican Senate candidate Ken Paxton made a stunning admission on Thursday that he would be backing Democrat James Talarico in November.

Attorney Thomas Henry donated more than half a million dollars to help Paxton in the primary earlier this year against Sen. John Cornyn, but he posted a video on Thursday announcing his jaw-dropping flip in support of Talarico.

“I’m here to announce my support for James Talarico for United States senator from Texas,” Henry said in the more than one-minute video posted on X.

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“The reason I’m supporting James is I had the opportunity to meet with him in person for quite a long period of time and go over the issues that affect Texas and affect our country.”

Henry, a prominent personal injury attorney in the state, said he found Talarico’s approach to addressing the issues was “balanced, straightforward and honest.”

The endorsement was head-turning because FEC records show Henry donated more than $646,000 in May to the Lone Star Liberty PAC, which supports Paxton, making him one of the biggest donors to the Texas attorney general in the race.

Henry acknowledged his support for Paxton during the primary against Cornyn in his Talarico endorsement video.

“One of the reasons I did that was because Cornyn had been in office way too long,” he said. “I think that politicians shouldn’t serve endless terms in the U.S. Senate.”

He acknowledged that he knew the state attorney general would not debate the incumbent senator even while he supported him earlier this year, but he argued that, upon learning more about the “issues affecting Paxton,” meeting Talarico was important.

“That meeting was extremely valuable because it taught me the values Talarico has, the values for respect, fairness, safety, good economics for Texas and our country, and a balanced approach to all the issues,” Henry said.

While the mega-donor indicated his support for Talarico in the general election, it is not clear whether he has donated to Talarico’s campaign.

The latest FEC filings do not yet reflect any such donations. The Daily Beast reached out to Henry for further comment.

Talarico this week became the top fundraising candidate this cycle, according to tracking by the organization Open Secrets.

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Tom Latchem

The top Paxton donor announcing he backed the Texas Democrat with less than two weeks before the election comes as several prominent Republicans have also announced their support for the state representative in his quest to flip the seat from red to blue, including President George W. Bush’s brother, Neil.

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