Republican strategist Karl Rove says Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has no choice but to debate Democratic State Rep. James Talarico, warning that skipping a debate could cost the Republican the Senate race.
“If he doesn’t debate, I think he loses,” Rove said. “If he debates, the question is, is he going to be able to go on the offense?”
Rove made the prediction Tuesday during a conversation with Democratic strategist David Axelrod at The Economic Club of Chicago. Axelrod, who helped make Barack Obama president, said he does not believe Paxton will agree to a debate.
“There’s a reason he hasn’t debated in 16 years. He’s not adroit,” Axelrod said.
Axelrod’s numbers were somewhat off, however. Paxton’s most recent debate took place in 2014, the year he was elected attorney general of the Lone Star State.
Axelrod drew laughter from the audience when he said he would pay to watch the two Senate candidates face off. Rove responded that Paxton’s political skill should have no bearing on whether he takes the stage against Talarico.
“You don’t need to be adroit in this,” Rove said. “The question is, does he have the guts to do it?”
The exchange between Rove and Axelrod came one day before leaked audio surfaced of Paxton criticizing President Donald Trump’s first-ever Republican midterm convention.
In the clip, which was obtained by The New York Times, Paxton can be heard saying the convention hurt his standing in the polls.
“To be honest with you, the numbers — when we did that convention — it dropped our numbers,” Paxton said in the audio. “Everybody’s numbers dropped. Right now, yeah, not good.”
On the question of a debate, Paxton’s senior adviser Nick Maddux said back in July that the attorney general would “of course” debate Talarico. Still, no debate has taken place so far, and none has been scheduled.
The Dallas Observer reported this week that Paxton’s team has repeatedly declined offers from local television stations. According to the report, the campaign also stopped communicating with ABC 8 in Dallas after weeks of talks about a proposed debate.
The Observer further reported that Paxton’s team turned down a proposed CNN debate. A Paxton spokesperson dismissed that offer, saying a CNN debate would amount to a “CCP-style struggle session.”
Talarico, for his part, has recently been calling on Paxton to meet him for a debate on Fox News. A Fox News spokesperson confirmed the network would be willing to host the matchup “if both candidates commit to appearing.”
For now, the ball appears to be in Paxton’s court. His campaign promised a debate months ago, a network has offered to host one, and a veteran Republican strategist is publicly warning that the race could hinge on whether the attorney general shows up.
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