With less than two months remaining before the 2026 midterm elections, Republican Ken Paxton and Democrat James Talarico are escalating their attacks in the closely watched race for Texas’ U.S. Senate seat.

Paxton, the Texas attorney general, released a new campaign ad titled “King James” that uses an artificial intelligence-generated depiction of Talarico to target the state representative over his past comments involving Christianity, gender and social issues.

The ad depicts an AI-generated Talarico writing in a fictionalized King James Bible and references comments Talarico has made about biological sex and describing God as “nonbinary.” The advertisement includes a disclaimer indicating that some of its video content was generated using AI.

“I’ve never seen someone so willing to weaponize faith to sell a radical agenda,” Paxton said in a statement announcing the ad. “Talarico even brags about hating Christianity… He’s used faith to justify putting boys in girls’ sports and even ‘transitioning’ Texas kids. He’s stated you can’t be a Christian and work in the oil and gas industry. His views are an insult to millions of faithful Texans, and it’s time for his extremist views to be exposed.”

Paxton’s campaign said the ad would air nationally on Newsmax during the Republican convention in Dallas.

Talarico responded by attacking Paxton’s decision to use artificial intelligence in campaign advertising.

“They are using AI in order to mislead the people of this state, and that is completely consistent with a liar like Ken Paxton,” Talarico told CBS News.

Talarico also said he would not use AI in his own political advertising.

The Democrat is simultaneously going after one of Paxton’s biggest political vulnerabilities: the controversies that led to the attorney general’s 2023 impeachment.

Talarico’s campaign released an ad featuring an endorsement from David Maxwell, a former Texas Ranger who later served as the director of law enforcement in the attorney general’s office.

Maxwell was among the senior officials who reported Paxton to the FBI in 2020, alleging the attorney general had improperly used his office to benefit a friend and political donor. Those accusations ultimately played a role in the Texas House’s decision to impeach Paxton in 2023.

“Maxwell spent five decades in law enforcement and was inducted into the Texas Ranger Hall of Fame. The best of the best,” the voiceover in Talarico’s ad says. “Let's just say he knows a bad guy when he sees one.”

The ad ends with a direct appeal to voters: “Vote for James Talarico. He's one of the good guys.”

Paxton has denied wrongdoing connected to the allegations against him. The Texas Senate acquitted him at his impeachment trial, and investigations related to the accusations were later closed without charges.

The competing advertisements illustrate the sharply different vulnerabilities each campaign is trying to exploit as Election Day approaches.

Paxton and his allies are focusing heavily on Talarico’s record and statements on religion, gender and other cultural issues. Talarico, meanwhile, is attempting to keep Paxton’s ethics controversies and impeachment history in front of voters.

The advertising battle is also becoming increasingly expensive.

Talarico has held a significant spending advantage over Paxton, but outside Republican groups are pouring money into Texas to help close that gap. MAGA Inc., the political group aligned with President Donald Trump, recently committed $10 million to television and digital advertising in the Texas Senate contest.

The investment represents one of the clearest signs yet of the national attention surrounding the race. Texas has long been difficult territory for Democrats in statewide elections, but the contest between Paxton and Talarico has attracted substantial money and attention from both sides.

With Election Day approaching, the latest round of ads suggests neither campaign intends to soften its message. Paxton is trying to define Talarico through his positions on religion and social issues, while Talarico is attempting to make Paxton’s record and past controversies the defining issue of the race.