James Talarico and Ken Paxton held dueling rallies in Lubbock on Tuesday evening. Thousands of people attended the events as the rivals campaigned across Texas. President Trump joined Mr. Paxton, saying, "America belongs to those who love it." Mr. Talarico told supporters, "We're going to shock the world," during his speech.
It was a showdown of sorts in western Texas as James Talarico and Ken Paxton appeared at dueling rallies on either side of a prairie-dog-filled city park.
For the second time in just over a week, Ken Paxton and James Talarico were on opposite sides of the same city at dueling rallies Tuesday evening in the western Texas city of Lubbock.
The rallies struck starkly different tones but conveyed the same message: The future of Texas and perhaps the nation hinged on the outcome of their U.S. Senate race.
Thousands of people packed into each event. But at Mr. Paxton's, attendance was stoked by the headliner, President Trump. Mr. Paxton did not deliver a traditional speech, only speaking when the president called him to the stage toward the end of his address, which lasted more than 90 minutes.
"On election night, Texas is going to prove that America does not belong to those who hate it," Mr. Trump said. "America belongs to those who love it."
Across the town, Mr. Talarico was the main attraction.
"We're going to shock the nation, shock the world, when we beat the billionaires and take back Texas," Mr. Talarico said to cheers.
The two candidates have been furiously campaigning across the state in the final days of what has been one of the nation's hardest-fought and most expensive midterm campaigns. Last week, they came within a few miles of each other in Fort Worth, an urban area controlled by Republicans and one both parties consider a battleground.
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