You can't make this up. Dan Cogdell, the powerhouse Houston defense attorney who spent nearly a decade keeping Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton out of prison, just crossed the political aisle. He didn't just quietly slip away, either. He went on his podcast and gave a full-throated endorsement to James Talarico, the progressive Democratic state representative trying to take Paxton down in the high-stakes U.S. Senate race.
When the guy who literally saved your skin in a historic 2023 impeachment trial says you've lost the plot, people notice. It's a brutal blow for Paxton, who just knocked off long-time incumbent Senator John Cornyn in a nasty Republican primary runoff last month. Now, instead of a unified Republican front, Paxton is dealing with friendly fire from his own inner circle. If you enjoyed this article, you should check out: this related article.
The Nine Year Defense That Ended at the Courthouse Steps
Let's look at the history here because it matters. Cogdell isn't some random hired gun brought in for a weekend press conference. He started representing Paxton back in 2015 when the attorney general was first indicted on felony securities fraud charges.
Think about that timeline. For nine years, Cogdell stayed in the trenches. He navigated the endless delays, the venue changes, and the intense media scrutiny. He was right there on the defense team when the Texas House impeached Paxton in 2023 over abuse of office and bribery allegations. Cogdell helped secure the acquittal in the Republican-controlled state Senate. Then, just a few months ago in early 2024, he helped orchestrate the deal that dropped those ancient securities fraud charges in exchange for restitution and community service. For another angle on this event, check out the recent coverage from The New York Times.
That's a lot of history. But Cogdell made it clear that his loyalty has expired.
"I worked my ass off for the man for nine years," Cogdell told The Associated Press. "But that's a different inquiry, my obligation to Ken ended at the courthouse steps and my obligation as a citizen is to do what I think is the right thing."
On his podcast, Cogdell was even more direct. He looked at Talarico and said Paxton had "lost sight of his core mission" to represent Texans, choosing instead to focus on division and rubber-stamping Donald Trump's agenda.
Why This Moves the Needle for Moderates
It is easy for political junkies to dismiss this. Paxton's campaign team wasted no time calling Cogdell a registered Democrat and painting the endorsement as entirely unsurprising. Tony Buzbee, the lead defense attorney from the impeachment trial, immediately hopped onto X to reiterate that he still backs Paxton.
But dismissing Cogdell as a partisan hack doesn't match reality. Federal campaign finance records show Cogdell actually cut a $6,500 check to Paxton's U.S. Senate campaign last year. He has historically donated to and voted for more Republicans than Democrats. He describes himself as a moderate who is simply fed up with thirty years of single-party control in Austin. He pointed directly to Texas ranking at the bottom of national lists for healthcare access and education funding as his breaking point.
When a moderate conservative donor who knows the nominee's secrets decides to write a $1,000 check to a Democrat instead, independent voters in the Texas suburbs pay attention.
Talarico's Play for the Cornyn Coalition
James Talarico knows exactly what to do with this gift. The young lawmaker from the Austin area has built a reputation as a pragmatic progressive who talks openly about his Christian faith and his background as a public school teacher. He isn't running a standard partisan campaign. He wants the middle.
The moment the endorsement dropped, Talarico used it to pitch a big-tent message aimed squarely at the moderate Republicans who are still grieving John Cornyn's primary loss.
"If you voted for John Cornyn, you have a place in this campaign," Talarico stated, leaning heavily into the idea that Paxton is too extreme for the Lone Star State. "Even if you're Ken Paxton's impeachment lawyer, you have a place in this campaign."
Polling from earlier this spring already shows Talarico in a statistical dead heat with Paxton. Texas hasn't elected a Democrat to the U.S. Senate since Lloyd Bentsen, but Paxton's heavy baggage gives the Democrats their best shot in a cycle where control of the entire Senate is up for grabs.
What Happens Next on the Campaign Trail
Expect Paxton to lean even harder into his hardline base. He won the primary runoff by running as an anti-establishment insurgent, riding a late-game endorsement from Trump to defeat Cornyn despite being heavily outspent. His team knows they won't win over suburban moderates who care about institutional norms, so they need maximum turnout from the MAGA faithful.
For Talarico, the strategy is simple but difficult. He needs to keep parading figures like Cogdell in front of cameras to convince traditional Texas business conservatives that Paxton is a liability.
Keep an eye on upcoming campaign finance reports to see if other prominent Republican donors follow Cogdell's lead and quietly close their wallets to Paxton. If the money starts drying up, Paxton's path to Washington gets a lot rockier.
