Talarico compares campaign to biblical David

Democrat James Talarico compared his campaign to biblical figure David, saying he was “going up against our own Goliaths,” ahead of his battleground contest against Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton in November’s elections .

“We are going up against our own Goliaths, those billionaire mega-donors, those corporate PACs, the entire Washington, D.C., establishment,” Talarico said at a campaign rally in Texas.

“This race reminds me of that story in the Bible of a shepherd boy who goes up against a giant for 40 days,” Talarico described. “On the day of the fight, he shows up in full armor. He’s carrying so many weapons he has to get someone else to hold his shield.”

“David may not have been as big or as strong as Goliath. He may not have had as many weapons, but he had hope, and he had a slingshot. You are my slingshot,” the Democrat continued, referring to the people of Texas as his “slingshot.”

“And on Nov. 3, those Goliaths aren’t going to know what hit them,” he concluded.

The David and Goliath story from the Bible is generally used to refer to an underdog situation, where a smaller, unlikely challenger faces off against a stronger opponent, according to the Oxford Learner’s Dictionaries .

The comparison comes as Elon Musk — the world’s richest person — poured $158 million into a key super PAC backing Paxton. In the third quarter, Paxton also raised $18 million , adding to what’s already the most expensive Senate race of the cycle.

Talarico and his team, meanwhile, reported $64 million in donations for the third quarter, saying it is the most money ever raised in the third quarter by any Senate candidate.

When Paxton earned President Trump’s endorsement, he was quickly able to defeat incumbent Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) but has faced a serious challenge from Talarico despite Texas being a red stronghold.

Talarico has hammered Paxton on his controversial record as the Lone Star State’s top prosecutor who was impeached by the Texas state House in 2023 before being acquitted by the state Senate — and, in audio shared by The New York Times, Paxton contended that his appearance at the GOP’s midterm convention “ dropped our numbers .”

Cook Political Report shifted the race away from Republicans to a “toss-up” rating in August. Decision Desk HQ, a partner of The Hill, designated the race as a coin flip but narrowly favoring Democrats, giving Talarico a 54 percent probability of flipping the seat.