James Talarico Secures Backing from Attorney Who Accused Ken Paxton of Pen Theft

James Talarico’s campaign for the Texas Senate has secured an endorsement from attorney Joe Joplin, the same individual who accused Republican nominee Ken Paxton of stealing his $1,000 Montblanc pen. The controversy began when surveillance captured Paxton removing the pen that Joplin had left in a dish by a courthouse metal detector. Although a spokesperson for the Texas attorney general later described the episode as a mistake, the episode resurfaced during the 2018 attorney-general race.

This month, Talarico’s team filmed Joplin holding the pen and formally announcing his support. The Democrat hopes the endorsement will draw attention to alleged corruption involving Paxton, while also emphasizing his own initiative to collect school supplies for returning students. Campaign spokesman JT Ellis characterized Paxton as “the kind of guy who steals your pen” and Talarico as “the kind of guy who’d let you borrow his.”