James Talarico Says Ken Paxton Is 'Ignoring' Jeffrey Epstein Survivors Amid Texas Senate Race Tensions Heading Into November

Texas Democratic Senate candidate James Talarico is accusing his Republican opponent, Attorney General Ken Paxton, of "ignoring" survivors of Jeffrey Epstein's abuse, as their November race tightens.

Talarico made the charge on Thursday, September 10, at a traveling Dallas exhibit of the released Epstein files, where he appeared alongside several survivors and called on Paxton to meet with them and to sue the U.S. Justice Department over its handling of the documents.

Paxton's office did not respond to requests for comment.

Talarico used a brief news conference to make two direct asks of his opponent. He called on Paxton to stop what he described as ignoring the survivors and their requests to meet with him, and to use the powers of his current office to sue the Justice Department over what Talarico called the mishandling of the Epstein files.

"Ken Paxton has two choices: he can stand with these survivors and get justice, or he can continue to cover up Jeffrey Epstein’s abuse," said Talarico.

He also argued that pursuing transparency in the case shouldn't be a partisan matter, adding that roughly 2.5 million pages of records remain unreleased, and criticized the government for failing to redact some victims' personal information in the files that have come out.

Two survivors of Epstein's abuse, Annie Farmer and Sharlene Rochard, appeared with Talarico and spoke about their experiences. He thanked them for their courage in coming forward and lending their voices to the push for the files' release.

Rochard spoke about turning her own history into advocacy. She said she couldn't change what had happened to her when she was young, but could use her voice now to demand accountability and a safer future for children.

The survivors said they had requested a meeting with Paxton that had not taken place, a point Talarico repeatedly returned to.

The appearance was timed to coincide with the Republican Party's midterm convention, held a few miles away in the Dallas area. The exhibit, a traveling installation billed as the Donald J. Trump and Jeffrey Epstein Memorial Reading Room, displays millions of pages of the released files and a timeline of Epstein's past association with President Donald Trump. Organizers opened it in New York earlier this year before bringing it to Texas.

The timing was part of a broader Democratic effort to counter the convention. Republicans are hoping the two-day event boosts Paxton, who has faced fundraising struggles and scandals and is running close to Talarico in the polls. Talarico spent part of his Dallas swing on economic themes as well, speaking at a grocery event and emphasizing his push to lower costs, alongside the Epstein message.

The exchange underscored how the Epstein issue has become a flashpoint in one of the year's most closely watched Senate contests. Talarico, a state representative who's touted a record of bipartisan legislation, is virtually tied with Paxton in opinion polls. Paxton, a close Trump ally, has centered his campaign on that alignment.

The attorney general's office declined to respond to Talarico's challenge or the survivors' request for a meeting. Talarico has acknowledged that a state attorney general suing the federal Justice Department would be a long shot, but has cast the demand as a test of where Paxton's priorities lie.

Both campaigns are expected to keep sparring over the issue as the race heads toward Election Day.