德克萨斯州最知名的个人伤害律师之一已在该州备受关注的参议院竞选中背书州众议员詹姆斯·塔拉里科（民主党人）。托马斯·J·亨利是德州电视广告和广告牌上的常客，他在周四于社交平台X发布视频，宣布将支持塔拉里科的参选。
One of Texas’ most prominent personal injury lawyers has endorsed state Rep. James Talarico (D) in the Lone Star State’s widely watched Senate race. Thomas J. Henry, a fixture of Texas TV ads and billboards, posted a video to the social platform X Thursday announcing he would support Talarico’s candidacy.
亨利说：“我支持詹姆斯的原因是，我有机会亲自与他会面很长一段时间，探讨影响德州和我们国家的议题。我发现詹姆斯处理这些影响德州和国家问题的方式，是平衡、直率且诚实的。”
“The reason I'm supporting James is I had the opportunity to meet with him in person for quite a long period of time and go over the issues that affect Texas and affect our country. And I found that James' approach to these problems that affect Texas and our country, were balanced, straightforward and honest,” Henry said.
对亨利而言，支持塔拉里科是一个转向。此前他在共和党初选中投入超过60万美元，支持塔拉里科的共和党对手肯·帕克斯顿。在特朗普总统的支持下，帕克斯顿于5月的决选中击败了参议员约翰·科宁。
Supporting Talarico is a pivot for Henry, who spent more than $600,000 backing the Texas Democrat’s Republican opponent, Ken Paxton, in the GOP primary. Paxton ousted Sen. John Cornyn in a May runoff with President Trump’s backing.
亨利在周四的视频中回应了他过去对帕克斯顿的支持，称他认为是时候从职业政客手中寻求变革了。亨利说：“现在，我知道你们有些人知道我在对阵科宁的竞选中支持过帕克斯顿。我这么做的原因之一是因为科宁任职时间太长了。我认为政客不应在联邦参议院无限期连任。”
Henry addressed his past support for Paxton in Thursday’s video, saying he thought it was time for a change from career politicians. “Now, I know some of you know that I supported Paxton in the race against Cornyn. One of the reasons I did that was because Cornyn had been in office way too long,” Henry said. “I think that politicians shouldn't serve endless terms in the U.S. Senate.”
但亨利表示，在会见塔拉里科后他改变了主意，他称这一点很重要，因为帕克斯顿至今未接受辩论邀请。亨利说：“我确信会见詹姆斯·塔拉里科会很重要，而那次会面极具价值，因为它让我了解了塔拉里科的价值观——尊重、公平、安全、为德州和国家带来良好经济，以及对所有议题采取平衡的方法。”
But Henry said he had a change of heart after meeting with Talarico, something he said was important because Paxton has yet to accept an invitation to debate. “I was confident that meeting James Talarico would be important, and that meeting was extremely valuable because it taught me the values Talarico has,” Henry said. “Respect, fairness, safety, good economics for Texas and our country and a balanced approach to all the issues.”
亨利的背书距离另一位德州知名人士支持塔拉里科仅一天。前总统乔治·W·布什的弟弟尼尔·布什周二在社交媒体上表示，他已为这位年轻的州众议员投下了德州参议员席位的一票。
Henry’s endorsement comes just a day after another high-profile Texas name backed Talarico. Former President George W. Bush’s brother, Neil, shared on social media Tuesday that he voted for the young state representative for the Texas Senate seat.
民主党自前总统罗纳德·里根执政以来，从未在“孤星州”赢得过参议院席位。不过，得克萨斯州的参议院选情胶着，塔拉里科在大多数民调中领先。无党派选情预测机构Decision Desk HQ（国会山报的合作伙伴）给这位民主党人击败帕克斯顿的几率评为57%。
Democrats have not won a Senate seat in the Lone Star State since former President Ronald Reagan was in office. The Texas Senate race is close, though Talarico has led in most polls. Nonpartisan election forecaster Decision Desk HQ, a partner of The Hill, gives the Democrat a 57 percent chance of defeating Paxton.