WEATHERFORD—Vice President JD Vance rallied a massive crowd of Republicans on Thursday, delivering a blistering attack on Democrat U.S. Senate candidate James Talarico while urging Texans to send Attorney General Ken Paxton to Washington.
The rally, held at Joe R. Jones Construction, drew a standing-room-only crowd inside the venue, with a large overflow crowd gathered outside.
Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins told attendees it was the largest rally Vance had held, a claim that appeared consistent with the enormous turnout.
With Election Day just five days away, Vance devoted much of his speech to contrasting Paxton’s record with Talarico’s, accusing the Democrat of attempting to conceal his left-wing positions from Texas voters.
Vance repeatedly mocked Talarico over his past comments about race, gender, and transgender issues, including the Democrat’s statements about grappling with his whiteness and masculinity.
“Stop worrying about your masculinity and start worrying about doing your damn job,” Vance told the crowd.
He also ridiculed Talarico’s comments about race.
“I don’t worry about grappling with my whiteness. I just try to raise my kids and live a normal life,” Vance said.
The vice president also criticized Talarico’s support for transgender mutilation for children, arguing that they were out of step with Texas voters.
He warned that a Talarico victory would be celebrated by the national left as a symbolic defeat of Texas and its conservative political identity.
“They don’t just want to beat you. They want to rub this victory of theirs in your face,” Vance said.
“They want to humiliate us by sending a guy who says things like men should belong in women’s sports.”
Vance argued that Texas represented the traditional American spirit and that Democrats were determined to undermine it.
“Texas ain’t surrendering. It’s not becoming California,” Vance declared.
The vice president also targeted Talarico over energy policy, highlighting his support of restrictions on oil and gas production while now campaigning on the issue of high gasoline prices.
“Remember, the Biden administration tried to kill Texas energy, and James Talarico was standing right there with him,” Vance said.
Vance argued that Talarico’s support for strict environmental regulations would make the United States more dependent on foreign energy producers.
“More Democrat policies on green energy scams mean higher energy prices and more reliance on the Middle East,” he said.
By contrast, Vance praised Paxton for repeatedly challenging the Biden administration in court and taking on powerful interests during his tenure as attorney general.
“Ken Paxton has never been afraid to stand up to powerful interests, even when others within the Republican Party wouldn’t have had the guts to do the same,” Vance said.
He pointed to Paxton’s lawsuits against the federal government, technology companies, and insurance providers as evidence of his willingness to fight for Texans.
Vance also used the event to announce federal support for a new meat processing facility in the region. The USDA’s Business and Industry Guaranteed Loan Program will back the construction.
According to the vice president, the facility will create hundreds of jobs and process approximately 400 cattle per day, providing additional competition in an industry dominated by a handful of major processors.
Vance’s appearance in Weatherford marked his third Texas campaign rally in just one month’s time.
He previously rallied Republicans in Harlingen in late September before traveling to Tyler earlier this month.
President Donald Trump has likewise been campaigning across Texas in the closing days of the election, including a rally in Corpus Christi earlier this week.
As he concluded his remarks, Vance urged attendees to turn their enthusiasm into votes.
“I need you to get out there and vote for Ken Paxton,” Vance said.
Early voting concludes Friday, with Election Day scheduled for November 3.
