Fox News host Jesse Watters called out Republican Texas Senate candidate Ken Paxton’s “whiff of corruption” on Thursday, blasting him ahead of the November midterm election.
Watters’ criticism of the Texas attorney general came only after his co-hosts on “The Five“ took multiple jabs at his opponent, James Talarico, following Talarico’s latest appearance at a town hall.
Emily Compagno asked Watters, “Why would we take such a whimsical feeling-person as wanting to represent constituents and being strong anyway?”
“Any way you slice it, he appears either weak or horrifying,” she added.
“Right, but he’s running against Paxton, and Paxton has a lazy eye and this whiff of corruption around him,” Watters responded. “Even though he was, like, the best attorney general in the country for the last eight years, there’s just something off-putting about him.”
The Donald Trump-backed candidate is facing a slew of controversies and backlash, including a recently leaked audio recording revealing how he believes the president’s war in Iran is dragging his campaign down.
The Republican candidate was also spotted partying in Dubai on New Year’s Eve 2024 with two U.S. fugitives who were indicted on federal healthcare fraud charges and accused of cheating on his wife.
According to The New York Times, Talarico is leading the polls, but Watters argued he “just talked to a guy in Oklahoma” who said “I’m hearing from a lot of people in Texas that they’re definitely not voting for ‘Freak-o,’ but they’re still having trouble bringing themselves to vote for Paxton.”
According to Watters, the days Talarico took off to recover from the flu “took all the momentum away” and “killed his campaign.”
The Fox News host went on to echo more right-wing talking points trashing Talerico, claiming that “this guy just can’t cut it in Texas.”
“And thank God we have more money than they do, or else this could be curtains for Republicans,” Watters concluded.