Lorenzo Salgado Araujo was murdered by ICE. His three sons called him “El mundo entero” — the whole world. They watched as their whole world died in a video posted on Facebook. Lorenzo was our neighbor and fellow Texan. He deserves justice.

.@JamesTalarico: To be honest with you, both political parties have way too much influence from big money and corporate special interests. It is a systemic problem, and I really think it's why we need holistic systemic reform. Because until we fix the system itself, we're not going to make progress on education, on health care, on jobs, on the environment... It's a corrupt system that's preventing us from making progress on those issues.

.@jamestalarico: I think about the maternal mortality crisis, where you see Black women dying at three times the rate of other mothers. And so I've rolled out a plan in consultation with a lot of community leaders to figure out what we can do to address this crisis. And that's ensuring that every new mother, including every Black mother, has access to prenatal care and paid family leave so that after they give birth they can tend to their own health and the health of their child. There's so much that we could do at the federal level to save the lives of Black mothers all across the state. Another issue that I think impacts Black Texans particularly is voting rights and gerrymandering — probably the biggest attack on Black political power since Jim Crow. They are systematically diluting the voting power of Black and brown Texans. And so these two issues in particular I think need a lot of spotlight.

Ken Paxton was impeached for taking bribes from donors. He became a multi-millionaire on a government salary. He takes lavish vacations in Iceland while Texans can’t afford the basics. Ken Paxton doesn’t serve us — he serves himself.

.@JamesTalarico: I learned defiance from my mother — a 7th generation Texan from Laredo. One night, my birth father became abusive again. But that night, my mom declared her own independence. She packed all our stuff into her little Ford Escort. There wasn't room for a nursery, so I slept in a crib in her closet. That's what it means to be a Texan. We are strivers and builders and dreamers of all colors and creeds, of all backgrounds and beliefs. It's in our blood. Texans don't like tyrants, and we don't surrender easily.

.@JamesTalarico: Today, our state is being taken over by a new kind of tyrant — billionaire mega donors. They're not invading with an army. They're just buying the system. The billionaires turn neighbor against neighbor, weakening that spirit of friendship that makes Texas so great. They divide us by party, by race, by gender, by religion, so we don't notice that they're picking our pockets. It is the oldest strategy in the world, divide and conquer. But Texas will not be conquered.

200 years ago, my ancestor signed the Texas Declaration of Independence. He wrote: “Any duty that would advance the cause of Texas I feel anxious and ever ready to perform…” As I accept your nomination for the US Senate, I make that same commitment to you.

Talarico: I believe anyone can be a Texan. It doesn’t matter if you’re an eighth-generation Texan like me or a California transplant like Ken Paxton. Listen, what makes a Texan is not in the boots or in the truck. It’s deep in the heart. These billionaires and their puppets have the wrong state of mind. Their hearts and their dreams are just not big enough.

.@jamestalarico: This election shouldn't be about the Democratic Party or the Republican Party. It should be about chasing a vision of what our state can be: Texas schools that are the envy of the nation, a Texas economy that is second to none, and Texas families that are stronger and healthier than ever before. It won't happen overnight. But a giant state deserves giant dreams. We are bigger than extremism, we're bigger than partisanship, we're bigger than corruption. Texas is bigger than all of those things. Because it's not just a state. It's a state of mind. It’s a cause. Texans don't like tyrants, and we don't surrender easily. Tonight, standing before you to accept your nomination for the United States Senate, I make the same commitment to you that my ancestor made 200 years ago: "Any duty that my bodily strength would enable me to perform, either in public or private, that would advance the cause of Texas, I feel anxious and ever ready to perform."

.@jamestalarico: These billionaires and their puppets have the wrong state of mind. Their hearts and their dreams are just not big enough. We let these small men get their hands on our big state. You know the kind of people I'm talking about, the kind who make themselves feel big by making everyone else feel small. These men, they took all the money and power they could grab, and they set out to shrink Texas down to their size. They're shrinking our Texas economy with job killing tariffs. They're shrinking our healthcare, so it covers less and less. And they're shrinking our power by attacking our God-given rights at the ballot box. They have been shrinking Texas for 3 decades now. But that ends in this election. In November, we can make Texas big again. We can make Texas friendly again. We can make Texas Texas again.

Talarico: Every bar has that one guy. He’s loud, he’s obnoxious, he makes all the women in the bar feel uncomfortable. He hears you say your name to the bartender and then adds his drink to your tab when you’re not looking. That’s Ken Paxton. And I don’t know about y’all, but I’m done picking up his tab.

Unearthed footage: Ken Paxton talks about how much he loved growing up in California and says he hated leaving: Paxton: “The hardest for me was leaving California.” Host: “No one does that willingly.”

Ken Paxton says he often doesn’t want to be in Texas and prefers spending time in California, where he grew up, instead: “I like places in California, even though I don’t like to admit that I go to California, but it’s beautiful.”

NEW from @statesman: Ken Paxton refuses to answer questions about the Epstein-style sweetheart deal he gave to admitted child predator Adam Hoffman. Read more:

Q: Mr. Paxton, what do you think about Adam Hoffman? Ken Paxton: *no response* Q: Why did you give a plea deal for a child sex predator? Ken Paxton: *no response* Q: Should he be registered as a pedophile in the state of Texas, as a sex offender? Ken Paxton: *no response* Q: What do you have to say to the victim of Adam Hoffman? Ken Paxton: *no response*