Texas State Sen. James Talarico (D) has hired Jacob Smith, a former aide to U.S. Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas), to serve as deputy policy director for his U.S. Senate campaign. The Talarico campaign confirmed the hiring on Monday, approximately three months before the November midterm elections.
Smith previously served as the deputy legislative director for Cornyn. He joins the Democratic campaign as Talarico prepares to face Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton (R) in the general election for the seat currently held by Cornyn. Paxton won the Republican primary after receiving an endorsement from Donald Trump, who opposed the incumbent senator.
In a statement, Smith said he has worked for Republicans like Cornyn throughout his career but is joining Talarico because the candidate addresses the needs of everyday workers rather than participating in partisan politics. Talarico described Smith in a press release as a capable and dedicated worker. Cornyn defended Smith’s right to choose his employer in a social media post Tuesday, stating that only authoritarian countries dictate where citizens work.
The scale of this shift involves two major statewide campaigns in Texas, a state where Fox News recently shifted the Senate race forecast to a "toss-up." While the source does not provide specific salary figures or the exact number of staff involved, the transition of a deputy legislative director—a role that manages policy for a senior U.S. Senator—to an opposing party's campaign is a notable professional change. Texas voters will see the results of these campaign strategies in the upcoming November election, as Talarico and Paxton are currently reported to be neck-and-neck in various polls.
The knock-on effects of this hiring include a public defense from a sitting Republican Senator for a staffer moving to a Democratic campaign. Cornyn’s statement suggested that the Republican party should focus on broadening its outreach to a coalition of voters rather than criticizing individual career moves. This sets a precedent in the current Texas political cycle for cross-party staffing despite internal party pressures. The general election will take place in November 2026, which will determine if this staffing strategy impacts the final vote count. In the interim, Cornyn has stated he will continue to support the Republican ticket.