Emcee (00:00):
Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome the next United States Senator for the Republic of Texas, Ken Paxton.
Crowd (00:09):
This is Texas, baby. It's done.
Ken Paxton (00:51):
I feel speechless in a way, but they're going to let me do that. Wow. To the people in this room, to the people watching at home and to the people of the great state of Texas, tonight we just made history.
(01:11)
I want to thank my family, my kids, my grandchildren, the Paxton Patriots, and every single person here today. Without your love, your support, and your prayers, we would not be here tonight celebrating this incredible victory. I'd also like to thank all of the grassroots, local state and national leaders who supported this campaign, including Congressman Brandon Gil who just spoke. Lance Gooden, Congressman Nehls, Congressman Wesley Hunt, and Congressman Ronny Jackson. I'd also like to thank Scott Presler and Turning Point Action. And Turning Point Action for their endorsements.
(02:01)
And then there's one person I think you might know, President Donald J. Trump. When everyone in Washington told him to abandon me and abandon the people of Texas, he didn't listen. Instead, he gave his complete and total endorsement. President Trump is the leader of our party and his endorsement is the most powerful force in politics. And I'm honored to have his support and I look forward to working with him in the Senate to deliver for Texas.
(02:45)
Tonight, we just sent a Texasized message to Washington. I said it in March and I'll say it again now. Today, change was on the ballot and change won. Let me be clear, this is not just my win, this is your win. We just proved that this Senate seat doesn't belong to Washington. It belongs to you, the hardworking men and women of this state.
(03:17)
We went up against $150 million in all the attacks in the world and you know what happened? The voters declared loud and clear a simple truth that we know in our hearts and in our souls, Texas is not for sale.
(03:35)
Now, I want to take a minute to say something about Senator Cornyn. I want to thank Senator Cornyn for his service to this state. John has dedicated much of his life to serving Texas. He's worked diligently for years to help Texas. And for that spirit of service to the Lone Star State and our nation, I'm very grateful. Thank you, John.
(03:56)
So no matter who you supported in this race, whether it was me, Senator Cornyn, or you voted for someone different in March, I want to thank every single Texans and I want to let them know that I want to earn your support. Tonight is not the end of a campaign. Tonight is the beginning of the fight to preserve every value we hold dear. The future of Texas and the future of America is on the line and I intend to do everything I can to expand our movement.
(04:23)
I've won three statewide elections because I know how critical it is for our party to come together and that's what we must do now. Without a shadow of a doubt, I will be the Democrat's number one target in November. Texas will be the radical left's number one priority, but if there's one thing I know about Texans, it's that we're not going to let them take it.
(04:54)
This campaign is not about red versus blue. It's about so much more. My opponent is the most extreme radical that Democrats have ever nominated. He's even running a vegan campaign, whatever that is. He goes by a few names that you may all have heard of. Some people know him as Tofu Talarico. Some people call him Six-Gender Jimmy. I've even heard some people call him James Talafrico. And others refer to him simply as Low-T Talarico.
(05:31)
But no matter what you call him, let me tell you this, James Talarico is a threat to everything we hold dear in this state and in this country. He's a threat to our security and our safety. He wants open borders and even said a welcome mat should be at our southern border.
(05:48)
He's a threat to our children. He wants boys and girls sports. Gender mutilation surgery performed on kids. And when asked, "What do you loved outside of his family and friends?" You heard what Brandon Gill said. His first answer was trans kids. That's weird and that's a radical guy.
(06:08)
He's a threat to our prosperity and Texas economy. He said you can't be a Christian if you support the oil and gas industries. He wants to raise your taxes and he won't do a single thing to lower costs for you and your family. And finally, he's a threat to our very way of life and our values. I mean, he's a vegan who thinks God is non-binary and that there's actually six biological sexes. It's hard to imagine someone more radical than that.
(06:37)
No matter what he says or how much he raises, the reality is that James Talarico is going to be nothing more than a Texas-based puppet for Chuck Schumer and the national Democrats. He wants the open borders policies of Biden, the woke agenda of AOC. He's going to push trillions more in spending. It's going to continue to drive up prices for all of us. He can never become our senator, but I need your help. We know James Talarico is going to raise more money than any Democrat in America. So I need everyone watching to go to kenpaxon.com and donate right now and support this campaign.
(07:22)
Every Democrat and I would say every Republican knows that if we lose this state, if Republicans lose this state, we lose the country. But I truly believe that together, not only will we win this race, but we can ensure that America's best days are ahead of us. You see, I'm not just running against the Democrats, I'm running to deliver for you just as I have as Attorney General. I'm running to lower your cost of living, because you deserve to be able to buy a home, afford groceries, and have a high quality of healthcare without being forced to stay up at night, worrying about how you're going to pay your monthly premium or pay off your debt. In the Senate, I'll support President Donald Trump's America first agenda and finally secure our nation's elections by passing the SAVE America.
(08:14)
I've taken on big food and big pharma as Attorney General, and I'm going to continue doing that in the Senate because making America healthy again is critical for our nation's future. As Attorney General, I've sued some of the largest companies in the world like Netflix, Snapchat, and Roblox for taking advantage of our kids by exposing them to dangerous addictive material. In Washington, I will not stop fighting to protect Texas children from big tech hurting our kids.
(08:50)
We live in dangerous times and that's exactly why I'll support our military and be ready to confront the threat from communist China, which is our number one geopolitical enemy.
(09:04)
Just a few weeks ago, I helped establish the first ever detransition clinic in the country at Texas Children's Center. This will help kids reverse the damage caused by radical doctors who tried to transition them. And in the Senate, I will never back down from taking on the woke mob.
(09:25)
I've also seen firsthand how bad judges can destroy our freedom and force a liberal agenda on Texas. That's why I will be dedicated to confirming judges who will uphold and defend the Constitution. So now, it's time to finish this Texas. We have until November to come together and bring as many people into this campaign as possible defeat James Talarico and deliver for our state. I can't thank you enough for your support and your hard work and your vote. Thank you for making history. God bless you. God bless Texas and God bless the United States of America.
John Cornyn (10:45):
Well, good evening, everybody. After a public service career lasting more than four decades and 18 consecutive campaign wins. Tonight, we've come up short in this primary runoff. A few years ago, I had a friend of mine say, "You know what makes God laugh?" He said, "When we make plans."
(11:16)
I've spent most of my time in the Senate building the Republican Party in Texas and in the US Senate, and I've always supported the Republican ticket, and I intend to do so again in this general election. I've said throughout this race that I trust the voters of Texas and they've made their decision and I must respect it.
(11:45)
Tonight, I'm joined up here by three women who mean everything to me and without whom I never would have enjoyed the incredible ride and public service career that I've had for many, many years. Of course, my wife Sandy of 46 years and counting and then our daughters Danley and Haley of whom I'm enormously proud and they mean everything to me.
(12:19)
Politics is hard on families especially, but I believe and I know my family believes that public service is an honorable calling. Serving others is a high purpose. And while much about politics is ugly, we choose to serve through the good, the bad, and the ugly. Of course, we could not have run this race without an outstanding campaign team that has served me so well through so many campaigns, truly the finest I've ever worked with.
(12:57)
To Rob, Mann and Andy and the entire campaign team who worked tirelessly and gave everything they had and who believed in me, I want to express my gratitude. Of course, I want to thank my US Senate staff ably led in Washington DC by Drew and in Texas by David. You work hard for 32 million Texans every day that I'm honored to represent with long hours, high stress and job uncertainty. I want to express my gratitude to my staff for their incredible professionalism and dedication to the 32 million people of Texas that I'm honored to represent.
(13:42)
To everyone who's worked with me alongside of me for all these many years, I just want to say thank you. And then to my supporters in this campaign, more than a thousand current and former elected official endorsements, more than 30 statewide organizations, to every financial supporter, every volunteer, everyone who voted for me in this election, I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart.
(14:15)
Tonight, I'm reminded of something Teddy Roosevelt said in 1910. He said, "It's not the critic that counts, not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles or where the doer of deeds could have done better. The credit belongs to the man who's actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and blood and sweat, who strives valiantly, who airs and comes up short again and again, because there is no effort without error or shortcoming. But who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions who spends himself at a worthy cause, who at the best knows in the end, the triumph of high achievement and who at the worst. If he fails, at least he fails while daring greatly so that his place shall never be among those cold and timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat."
(15:18)
A number of years ago up in West Texas, that's not the region, that's the city, where there was a terrible catastrophe, a county commissioner up there said something that stuck with me all these years. He said, "Being a Texan doesn't describe where you're from. It describes who your family is." And for the past two and a half decades, I have represented this family in the United States Senate. During that time, I helped write and pass a number of historic tax reform bills, focus on building our military for tomorrow, helping put hundreds of conservative judges on the federal bench, work to take Washington's boot off the necks of Texas job creators and helped tackle some of our nation's most challenging problems.
(16:16)
In this runoff election, approximately 8% of registered voters made their voices heard. And of that 8% who voted, roughly 60% said they were ready for a different direction. Another reminder that those who show up decide for those who do not.
(16:41)
There's a simple rule in elections, you've heard me say it before and that is the candidate who gets the most votes wins. The party and the majority gets to govern, and my hope is to keep my party in power for generations.
(16:59)
I am an optimist by nature, which is just another way of saying I am a Texan. Yesterday, when I was in San Antonio where I stood alongside of 109 students who had been admitted to service academies for this upcoming year, this was the 20th time that we've had this academy send off and it remains my favorite event of the year, because these young men and women, the leaders of our military and our communities and our nation tomorrow give me great hope and optimism for our future.
(17:40)
Well, a scripture verse comes to mind as well where the Apostle Paul said, "I've fought the good fight, I've finished the race and I've kept the faith." Over the next seven months, of my service in the United States Senate, I intend to continue my work to help make this nation a better place for all Texans and all Americans. Thank you very much and may God bless Texas and may he continue to bless the United States of America.
Reporter (18:22):
Senator Cornyn. Senator Cornyn.
John Cornyn (18:23):
I'll have more to say later.
Security (18:27):
Sorry guys, make a hole for him. Make a hole.
Reporter (18:28):
[inaudible 00:18:29].