Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, currently running for the U.S. Senate seat in Texas against Democratic challenger James Talarico, recently outlined the high stakes ahead of Election Day.

Paxton stated he has been “doing a lot of work reaching out to people” and explaining his positions. He acknowledged that Republicans do not always secure their preferred candidate but emphasized he ultimately supports the Republican nominee. “Everybody I vote for doesn’t win, but eventually I move on and vote for the Republican,” Paxton said.

Paxton added that he would have backed incumbent Senator John Cornyn had Cornyn won, noting he was repeatedly asked during the race whether he would do so. “Absolutely, no doubt about it,” Paxton recalled, adding he considers Talarico “the most dangerous candidate in Texas that we’ve ever had.”

Jaye, who previously worked in Texas politics for Representative Brian Babin—a fellow Paxton endorser—asked why Democrats repeatedly target Texas and argue the state could turn blue. Paxton responded that Texas is on Democrats’ “top wish list” due to its electoral importance. “If they take Texas, we’re not going to elect another president from the Republican Party,” he argued, noting Republicans would also struggle to maintain a congressional majority.

Paxton alleged Democrats have “rigged California and many other liberal Democratic states” through poor election laws. He claimed Democrats hope to take Texas because, in his view, they already control “three of the largest four states.” Paxton also acknowledged that the president’s party typically faces challenges in midterm elections, stating “a midterm year tends to be tougher for the party in power.”

Paxton pointed to Democrat Beto O’Rourke’s narrow challenge against Senator Ted Cruz as an example of why Democrats continue investing heavily in Texas. “I think it was less than a two-point race for Ted Cruz, and they’re hoping for the same thing here,” Paxton said. “We just got to make sure that doesn’t happen.”

Jaye also noted that Paxton won his primary without help from Washington and stated that campaign spending supporting him during the primary had been approximately $4 million. When asked whether national Republicans were prepared to support his campaign, Paxton said he believes they understand the consequences of losing Texas. “If we lose Texas, the Senate’s gone,” he added. “We’re not going to hold the Senate.”