Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, the GOP Senate nominee, stated on Tuesday that America celebrated its 200th anniversary on July 4, 2026, when the nation actually marked its 250th anniversary that day. His remark drew social media criticism one week before the midterm elections.
Where
Statewide
When
Oct. 27, 2026
Sources
Reported by 2 outlets
Taxes and money
None stated in sources.
Who's involved
Ken PaxtonTexas Attorney General and GOP Senate nominee
Donald TrumpPresident preparing to campaign in Texas
James TalaricoDemocratic state representative running against Paxton in Senate race
The facts
Paxton said America celebrated the 200th anniversary of its founding on July 4, 2026.1
The U.S. actually celebrated its 250th anniversary on July 4, 2026; the 200th was in 1976.1
Paxton's remark drew mockery on social media one week before midterm elections.1
Trump was preparing to campaign in Corpus Christi and Lubbock for Republican candidates.1
Paxton is the GOP Senate nominee running against Democratic state Rep. James Talarico.1
Who said what
These are statements and claims made by the people involved. They are reported, not verified.
Social media users Paxton spent Independence Day 2026 in London instead of observing it in the U.S.1
Texas Democratic Party Paxton spent the July 4th holiday in London, making his error about the anniversary ironic.1
How they headlined it
The same event, as each outlet put it. Marked words appear in only one outlet's headline.
‘Not quite’: Ken Paxton mercilessly mocked over embarrassing blunder at Trump rally
These outlets were found through Google News headlines. Google decides which outlets appear there, and they lean mostly one way, so this sheet can only be as balanced as the reporting it was built from. Leanings are AllSides Media Bias Ratings.
Democratic Senate candidate James Talarico and President Donald Trump held competing rallies in Lubbock, Texas on October 27 to support their respective Senate candidates. Both events drew thousands of supporters in the Republican-leaning county.
James Talarico, Democratic Senate candidate; Donald Trump, President of the United States, appearing for Republican Senate candidate Ken Paxton; Ken Paxton, Republican Senate candidate
Five candidates—incumbent Chris Canales and challengers Matthew Guzman, Arturo Alluin, Laura Ochoa-Todd, and Johnny Gonzalez—are competing for El Paso City Council District 8 in the Nov. 3 election. A dark-money group called Sun City Coalition has spent more than $127,000 on mailers, drawing criticism from both Canales and Guzman.
$$64,000 for spending on latest mailers
Chris Canales, Incumbent City Council District 8 candidate; Matthew Guzman, City Council District 8 candidate; Arturo Alluin, City Council District 8 candidate and 4 more
Fort Bend County is holding an election for county judge between Republican interim County Judge Daniel Wong and Democratic Commissioner Dexter McCoy. The race comes after former County Judge KP George was convicted of felony money laundering in March, and Wong was sworn in as acting county judge in April.
$Wong proposed a tax rate reduction before passing the 2027 fiscal year budget.
Daniel Wong, Republican interim County Judge candidate; former Sugar Land city council member and CEO of engineering firm; Dexter McCoy, Democratic candidate for county judge; Fort Bend County Commissioner since 2023; former aide to U.S. Secretary of Education; KP George, Former Fort Bend County Judge and 1 more
Williamson County is distributing limited-edition "I Voted" stickers designed by student contest winners from elementary, middle, and high schools. "Future Voter" stickers for those under 18 are also available while supplies last through November 3.
Felicity Ellis, Second grader from Naumann Elementary School, first place winner, elementary division; Landon Dyer, Fifth grader from Fern Bluff Elementary School, second place winner, elementary division; Drake Ellis, Fifth grader from Naumann Elementary School, third place winner, elementary division and 6 more
Democrat Gina Hinojosa continues her campaign to unseat incumbent Governor Greg Abbott in the final days before the election. Late polling and early voting trends show the race is competitive, with affordability, data centers and corruption concerns shaping the political landscape.
Gina Hinojosa, Democratic candidate for Governor; Greg Abbott, Incumbent Governor; Travis Trawick, Founder and CEO of FullPAC
The U.S. midterm elections are scheduled for Tuesday, November 3, 2026. All 435 House seats, 35 Senate seats, 36 governorships and over 6,100 state legislative seats are on the ballot. Senate races in Texas are among competitive battlegrounds that could determine control of Congress.
Donald Trump, President; Liz Shuler, AFL-CIO President; Stephen Moore, Former Trump economic adviser and 1 more
Election administrators in Central Texas confirmed voter rolls remain secure as early voting concluded. The Texas Secretary of State's Office flagged 2,724 voter files statewide for citizenship verification and referred 117 cases to the Attorney General's Office for investigation.
Jared Goldsmith, McLennan County Elections Administrator; James Stafford, Bell County Public Information Officer; Dan Patrick, Incumbent Republican Lt. Gov. and 3 more
Early voting in Texas continues through October 30, with nearly a quarter of Young County's registered voters having cast ballots in the first week. Multiple Texas counties reported heightened participation, and over 4.4 million Texans had voted by October 25. Election officials in Bexar County are addressing questions about emergency ballot procedures when scanner malfunctions occur.
Kaitlyn Mosley, Young County Election Supervisor; Brenda Stennett, Olney poll worker; Texas Secretary of State, State election official and 1 more