The U.S. Chamber of Commerce has endorsed Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton for Senate over Democrat James Talarico, citing his record defending free enterprise ahead of the 2026 midterms.

In a statement reported by The Hill, the nation’s largest business federation made clear it wants Paxton in Washington. Executive Vice President and Chief Policy Officer Neil Bradley framed the Texas contest as a straightforward choice for job creators and growth.

Bradley said the attorney general has stood up for the policies that let American companies expand and hire. That message lands as Republicans fight to hold and expand their power in a difficult midterm climate, including the broader battle captured in coverage of Speaker Johnson’s future hangs on the midterms.

Paxton, already carrying President Trump’s endorsement, knocked off Sen. John Cornyn in a Republican primary runoff in May. The Chamber’s nod now puts institutional business support behind the Trump-backed nominee against Talarico.

"The choice is clear in Texas. Attorney General Ken Paxton has been a defender of free enterprise and the pro-growth policies that empower American businesses to thrive."

Bradley went further on the record Paxton has built in office.

"He has pushed back against federal overreach, helped preserve a low-tax environment, and defended the energy sector from burdensome mandates."

Those lines matter in Texas. Energy, taxes, and resistance to Washington mandates are not abstract talking points in the Lone Star State. They are the core of the economy voters actually live with.

Bradley also tied prosperity to the courts and the lawsuit culture that hits employers.

"Paxton understands that true economic prosperity relies on a fair and predictable justice system. We look forward to working together on meaningful legal reform that shields job creators from lawsuit abuse and red tape."

The Chamber has been active for more than a century. Its endorsement is not a casual press release. It is a signal to donors, local chambers, and business-aligned voters that Paxton is the candidate they trust on growth.

Race tightens after Cook’s toss-up call

The Senate map is not waiting for anyone. Cook Political Report moved the Texas race to a “toss-up” in August, pulling it away from a clearer Republican lean. Decision Desk HQ, a partner of The Hill, has treated the contest as a coin flip that still narrowly favors Democrats, giving Talarico a 54 percent chance of flipping the seat.

That math explains why every major institutional endorsement now carries weight. Recent polling has already shown how close the contest remains, including a CBS survey locking Paxton and Talarico in a dead heat.

Talarico has attacked Paxton’s record. Paxton, for his part, has faced a rough stretch since the runoff. Audio shared by The New York Times captured him saying his appearance at the GOP’s midterm convention “dropped our numbers.” The Chamber still chose him.

Other surveys have shown the same razor-thin picture, with one finding Paxton edging Talarico by half a point. Business groups do not usually waste capital on races they think are already decided.

Impeachment fight did not end Paxton’s career

Democrats and some Republican critics have long treated Paxton’s 2023 impeachment as a permanent brand. The Texas House impeached him. The Texas Senate acquitted him. He then beat a longtime incumbent senator in a primary runoff. The Chamber’s endorsement treats that history as settled political fact, not a disqualifier.

Voters in Texas have already rendered their own judgment once. Primary voters chose Paxton over Cornyn. The business community is now lining up behind the same nominee for the general election.

Senate control will turn on a handful of these contests. Republican strategists watching the map, including the pressure described when Cruz warns about Senate races tightening, understand that Texas was never supposed to be this competitive. The Chamber’s move is an attempt to lock in the pro-growth lane before Democrats define the race purely on personality and old scandals.

Chamber’s earlier clash with Trump on tariffs

The endorsement does not erase every past fight. The Chamber clashed with the Trump administration earlier this year over tariffs aimed at nearly every country. Last year it filed an amicus brief in Trump v. V.O.S. Selections Inc., arguing the president was overstepping statutory authority and that the tariffs caused “irreparable harm to businesses of all sizes.”

The Supreme Court later ruled those tariffs unlawful and rejected the expanded use of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act. After that decision, Bradley urged the administration to reset tariff policy in a way that would produce stronger growth, higher wages, and lower costs for families.

That history shows the Chamber will oppose policies it sees as bad for employers, even when a Republican White House is driving them. It also shows the group still prefers Paxton over Talarico when the question is who will sit in the Senate and draft the next round of tax, energy, and liability rules.

Party unity remains a live issue on the Republican side as well, including awkward family and ticket dynamics such as when Angela Paxton backed the GOP ticket without naming Ken Paxton. Institutional endorsements like the Chamber’s are meant to cut through that noise and focus donors on the economic stakes.

What the endorsement actually signals

Bradley’s statement did not dwell on polls or primary scars. It listed concrete fights: federal overreach, taxes, energy mandates, lawsuit abuse, and red tape. Those are the issues business groups care about when they decide whether a senator will help or hurt the companies that hire workers.

Talarico is the alternative. The Chamber looked at both men and said the choice is clear. In a race Cook now rates as a toss-up and Decision Desk HQ gives a slight Democratic edge, that kind of institutional clarity is rare.

Texas should not be a swing seat. When it is, every signal about taxes, energy, and the courts matters more than the latest cycle of personal drama. The Chamber put its name on Paxton’s side of that ledger.

Business groups just told Texas voters which candidate they trust to keep government from smothering the economy. The rest is up to the people who actually cast the ballots.