The former impeachment attorney for Texas attorney general and Republican Senate candidate Ken Paxton told MS NOW’s Ana Cabrera on Tuesday that he believes Democratic nominee James Talarico is “the better candidate” in the race.

“I don’t wish Ken any ill will. I don’t harbor any resentment for the man. I just think that Talarico is the better candidate,” Dan Cogdell told Cabrera. “I think he is focused on the issues that Texans care about, and I think he’ll do a good job.”

Cogdell, who represented Paxton both in his impeachment trial and during his federal securities fraud investigation, announced Monday that he would be voting for Talarico over his former client in the November general election. He told Cabrera that while he had fulfilled his constitutional duty to represent Paxton vigorously, “the Constitution does not require me to vote for him or endorse him.”

Prior to supporting Talarico, Cogdell had been an enthusiastic supporter of Paxton’s. Last year he donated $6,500 to Paxton’s campaign, Federal Election Commission records show; in March of this year, he donated $1,000 to Talarico’s campaign.

Cogdell told Cabrera that he came to support Talarico after learning about his campaign and priorities, saying, “I believe he’s focusing on the things that Texans are concerned about,” like gun violence, education and healthcare.

“I haven’t seen Ken Paxton mention any of those things in his run-up in this election,” Cogdell said. “I believe James is focusing on those things, and I think those things are important to Texans.”

Talarico beat out Rep. Jasmine Crockett, D-Texas, in the March primary to win the Democratic nomination. A former public school teacher, 36-year-old Talarico has been lauded as a rising star within the Democratic Party, and polling suggests he has a real shot at winning Democrats’ first statewide seat in Texas in decades.

Paxton, meanwhile, defeated incumbent Sen. John Cornyn in last month’s Republican primary after securing President Donald Trump’s much-anticipated endorsement. But Paxton has been plagued by scandals, including a divorce initiated by his wife, state Sen. Angela Paxton, who said she was filing “on biblical grounds.”

Cogdell said that he does not regret representing Paxton, adding that he’s “proud of that work.”

A spokesperson for Paxton’s Senate campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment from MS NOW on Tuesday.

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Los Angeles Council member Nithya Raman will advance to the November general election in the mayoral race to face the incumbent, Karen Bass, after overtaking ex-reality TV star Spencer Pratt in the primary, The Associated Press projects. 

Raman has steadily trended upward in the vote count since Election Day, and she overtook Pratt on Sunday. Monday’s vote update gives Raman a cushion of more than 20,000 votes, making her position in the top two safe, with an estimated 93% of the vote counted.

The runoff between Raman, 44, and Bass, 72, is the latest example of a younger Democrat trying to oust an older incumbent. Raman, a Harvard- and MIT-educated member of the Democratic Socialists of America who has represented LA’s 4th City Council District since 2020, launched her surprise mayoral campaign in February — less than two weeks after she endorsed Bass’ campaign for re-election.

The runoff between Raman, 44, and Bass, 72, is the latest example of a younger Democrat trying to oust an older incumbent.

She campaigned on a pledge to bring change to the city, but struggled to deliver consistent messaging during debates, where she walked back some of her more left-wing policy stances, including support for defunding the police and opposing anti-camping zones for homeless people. 

Bass previously represented LA in the California Assembly, including as speaker. She has served six terms in the U.S. House and entered the mayor’s race facing extensive criticism from Angelenos over both her handling of last year’s deadly LA wildfires — she was in Ghana when the blazes broke out — and her failure to achieve her goal of ending homelessness by the end of her first term.

She has pledged that, if re-elected, she will deliver on that goal. She has also vowed to continue standing up to the Trump administration, pointing to her confrontation with federal agents when the president deployed Immigration and Customs Enforcement to the city last year. 

In a statement provided to MS NOW Monday night, Raman thanked her supporters and sought to cast herself as a change agent, pledging to “fight for a healthier, safer, more affordable, and more joyful Los Angeles.”

“For too long, City Hall has prioritized giving political advantage to powerful interests that fund elections. Meanwhile, working people pay the price in higher rents, depleted services, and a city that has stopped working for them,” Raman said. “If you’re as frustrated by the broken status quo as I am, I hope you’ll join our movement to build a city that works for everyone.”

Meanwhile, Bass campaign strategist Douglas Herman said in a statement to MS NOW Monday night: “A campaign against Nithya Raman, who allows encampments near schools and cuts the police force, is one Mayor Bass looks forward to winning.”

Pratt’s fast rise, social media savvy and massive online audience also seemed to make it more difficult for Raman to break through in the primary. He outraised both Bass and Raman since launching his campaign in January.

But some strategists predicted Pratt’s backing by MAGA, and President Donald Trump himself, would ultimately help catapult Raman to second place in deep-blue LA.

Indeed, Pratt’s lead over Raman steadily narrowed since primary night as mail-in ballots came in — a fact that Trump and other MAGA allies baselessly alleged proved “fraud” in the race. On Tuesday, Pratt led Raman by 9 percentage points; by Sunday night, she had overtaken him by less than 1 percentage point.

Spokespeople for Pratt’s campaign did not immediately respond to MS NOW’s requests for comment after the results were called Monday night.

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