Prominent Texas lawyer who donated more than $600K to pro-Paxton PAC endorses Talarico

One of Texas’s most prominent personal injury lawyers has endorsed state Rep. James Talarico (D) in the Lone Star State’s widely watched Senate race.

Thomas J. Henry, a fixture of Texas TV ads and billboards, posted a video to the social platform X on Thursday announcing he would support Talarico’s candidacy.

“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. And I found that James’s approach to these problems that affect Texas and our country, were balanced, straightforward and honest,” Henry said.

Supporting the Texas Democrat is a pivot for Henry, who spent more than $600,000 backing Talarico’s Republican opponent, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, in the GOP primary. Paxton ousted Sen. John Cornyn (R) in a May runoff with President Trump’s backing .

Henry addressed his past support for Paxton in Thursday’s video, saying he thought it was time for a change from career politicians.

“Now, I know some of you know that I supported Paxton in the race against Cornyn. One of the reasons I did that was because Cornyn had been in office way too long,” Henry said. “I think that politicians shouldn’t serve endless terms in the U.S. Senate.”

But Henry said he had a change of heart after meeting with Talarico, something he noted was important because Paxton has yet to accept an invitation to debate.

“I was confident that meeting James Talarico would be important, and that meeting was extremely valuable because it taught me the values Talarico has,” Henry said. “Respect, fairness, safety, good economics for Texas and our country and a balanced approach to all the issues.”

Henry’s endorsement comes just a day after another high-profile Texas name backed Talarico . Former President George W. Bush’s brother, Neil, shared on social media Tuesday that he voted for the young state representative for the Texas Senate seat.

Democrats have not won a Senate seat in the Lone Star State since former President Reagan was in office.

The Texas Senate race is close, though Talarico has led in most polls. Nonpartisan election forecaster Decision Desk HQ, a partner of The Hill, gives the Democrat a 57 percent chance of defeating Paxton.