DALLAS - One preaches love and reconciliation. The other champions confrontation and unyielding conservatism. Both invoke Christianity as they battle for a US Senate seat in Texas that could help determine control of Congress.
Democrat James Talarico, a 37-year-old former teacher and aspiring Presbyterian minister, faces Republican Ken Paxton, a 63-year-old political survivor whose loyalty to President Donald Trump has helped him overcome years of scandal.
Their contest on November 3 has become unexpectedly competitive in a state where no Democrat has won statewide office since 1994, presenting voters with two sharply contrasting political figures.
- James Talarico: 'Politics of love' -
As a child at his church's daycare center, James Talarico would intervene to break up fights, according to the pastor who has known him since infancy.
Jim Rigby, who baptised Talarico and married his parents, remembers the youngster as a "calming presence."
Decades later, that temperament has become central to the Democrat's appeal.
A former middle school teacher and nonprofit director, Talarico was elected to the Texas House of Representatives in 2018 and has built a national following with speeches that fuse progressive politics, biblical teachings and criticism of America's wealthy elites.
"I'll always put Texas before any political party," he has declared.
A Presbyterian seminarian, Talarico draws inspiration from Jesus's commandment to love one's neighbour, arguing that faith demands compassion for the poor, immigrants and marginalised communities.
He has challenged conservative Christians on their own theological ground, condemning Christian nationalism and opposing government-sponsored religious displays in public schools.
His political message combines support for abortion rights and greater economic equality with appeals to voters weary of partisan hostility.
Talarico's conversational style and command of scripture have generated viral social media clips, while a two-hour appearance on comedian Joe Rogan's hugely popular podcast in 2025 introduced him to an audience beyond traditional Democratic circles.
But his progressive theology has provoked fierce criticism from religious conservatives, particularly over his positions on abortion and LGBTQ rights.
His suggestion that God is "nonbinary" drew accusations of blasphemy, while his more cautious recent language on transgender issues has raised questions among some of his own supporters.
Talarico has sought to broaden his appeal by defending Texas's oil industry and criticising aspects of former president Joe Biden's immigration policies.
He defeated the more combative congresswoman Jasmine Crockett in the Democratic primary, promising a "politics of love."
- Ken Paxton: The MAGA survivor -
Ken Paxton's political career has repeatedly appeared close to collapse.
Yet the Texas attorney general has survived criminal charges, impeachment and years of damaging revelations to emerge as one of the most recognisable champions of Trump's Make America Great Again (MAGA) movement.
A lawyer educated at Baylor University and the University of Virginia, Paxton entered the Texas legislature in 2003 and made his name challenging the Republican establishment from the right.
He became attorney general in 2015, turning the office into a formidable legal weapon against Democratic administrations and progressive causes.
His lawsuits targeting immigration policies, abortion access, environmental regulations and the Biden administration made him a hero to grassroots conservatives.
Paxton also supported Trump's attempts to overturn his 2020 election defeat, cementing his standing with the president's most loyal supporters.
Like Talarico, Paxton places religion at the centre of his politics, but he champions a different vision of Christianity, one that emphasises traditional morality and the defense of a nation he believes was founded on biblical principles.
"In Texas classrooms, we want the Word of God opened, the Ten Commandments displayed and prayers lifted up," he declared in 2025.
His political resilience has nevertheless been tested by repeated scandals.
In 2023, the Republican-controlled Texas House impeached him over allegations of corruption and abuse of power, but the state Senate acquitted him.
Long-running securities fraud charges were also resolved without an admission of wrongdoing under an agreement requiring restitution and community service.
More recently, his marriage collapsed amid allegations of infidelity, while fresh reporting has raised questions about his relationships with wealthy donors and businessmen.
Paxton denies wrongdoing and has portrayed his legal and political troubles as efforts by establishment figures to destroy him.
His supporters have largely stood by him, valuing his willingness to fight their political battles over questions about his personal conduct.
That loyalty helped him defeat four-term incumbent senator John Cornyn by 28 percentage points in a Republican primary runoff in May after Trump threw his weight behind Paxton.
It was a striking demonstration of how thoroughly Trump's movement has reshaped Texas Republican politics.
- by Moises Avila with Frankie Taggart in Washington (AFP)