Democratic Texas Senate candidate James Talarico is facing criticism after the family of a child sexual abuse victim publicly disputed a claim he made about their case during a campaign event targeting his Republican opponent, Attorney General Ken Paxton. The dispute undermines a central attack line in Talarico's campaign and hands ammunition to Paxton's team in a closely watched, contentious Senate race, with relatives saying they are "tired of being used" for political purposes.

Talarico held a news conference on 9 July outside Paxton's office, where he accused the attorney general of mishandling or being lenient towards a perpetrator in a child sex abuse case, using the victim's family to bolster his campaign narrative. However, members of the victim's family have since contradicted his version of events, saying his portrayal misrepresented the situation and expressing frustration at being drawn into the political fight. The episode has become a flashpoint in the race, with Fox News commentators such as Kayleigh McEnany suggesting the fallout could favour Paxton.