Country music legend Willie Nelson on Thursday endorsed Democratic state Rep. James Talarico in Texas’ U.S. Senate race against Republican Attorney General Ken Paxton, a contest rated a toss-up by the Cook Political Report.
Mr. Nelson delivered the endorsement in a video provided exclusively to the Houston Chronicle. In it, he said Mr. Talarico “will be a good senator for the state of Texas.”
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The endorsement follows a public appearance together. Mr. Talarico appeared onstage with Mr. Nelson at the singer’s annual Fourth of July Picnic in Austin this summer.
Mr. Nelson has a long record of backing Democrats. The Washington Examiner reported that he endorsed Democratic state Rep. Gina Hinojosa for governor this year, as well as Beto O’Rourke in his earlier Senate and gubernatorial bids, and that he backed Kamala Harris in 2024. Over the weekend, Mr. Nelson also posted video endorsements for Ms. Hinojosa and Vikki Goodwin, the Democratic candidate for lieutenant governor.
In 2020, Mr. Nelson was set to join a virtual fundraiser for Joe Biden’s presidential campaign, where tickets ranged from $250 to $100,000, CNN reported.
Mr. Nelson’s finances have also been in the public eye. The IRS seized his assets in November 1990 over a $16.7 million tax debt tied to tax shelter investments whose deductions the agency disallowed. Interest and penalties made up most of the total. He and the IRS settled the debt for $9 million in 1993.
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