President Donald Trump attacked the physical appearances of Democratic Senate candidates James Talarico in Texas and Jon Ossoff in Georgia, asking in a social media post whether the two shared a “genetic tree” while urging voters to back his preferred Republican candidates ahead of the 2026 midterm elections.
Trump Mocks Democrats In Key Senate Battlegrounds
“Isn’t it strange, the Dumocrats are running a man in Texas who looks virtually identical to Alfred E. Neuman, of MAD Magazine fame and, in Georgia, they’re running someone who looks like a twin to the Late, Great, Pee-wee Herman,” Trump wrote in the Truth Social post.
“With these two horrible Political Candidates, I don’t know if there’s a genetic tree, but it certainly is close! What do you think? In any event, Mike Collins, of Georgia, should easily beat Pee-wee, and Ken Paxton, of Texas, should easily beat Alfred E. Vote Republican and, MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN! President DONALD J. TRUMP,” he added.
Trump also posted images of the fictional characters he mentioned, juxtaposed with photographs of Talarico and Ossoff.
The insults landed as both parties intensify their campaigns for November’s midterms. Control of the U.S. Senate is on the line, with Republicans holding a slim 53-47 majority. Democrats need a net gain of four seats to take control if they do not lose any of their own seats.
Benzinga reached out to the offices of James Talarico and Jon Ossoff for comment, but did not hear back at the time of publication.
Texas Poll Shows Paxton Talarico Nearly Tied
Texas and Georgia are two of the most closely watched Senate battlegrounds. In Texas, Republican Ken Paxton and Democrat James Talarico are running nearly even, according to a new poll released Tuesday by the Texas Politics Project at the University of Texas at Austin.
The survey found Paxton leading Talarico 43% to 42%, with a 3.5-point margin of error, according to The Texas Tribune. The result largely aligns with other recent polling showing a competitive race since the nominees were finalized last month.
The new numbers also mark a clear improvement for Paxton. He trailed Talarico by 8 percentage points in the same pollster’s April survey before winning the GOP nomination after Trump’s late endorsement.
Georgia Race Adds To Midterm Stakes
In Georgia, Trump-backed Rep. Mike Collins (R) is set to challenge Sen. Jon Ossoff (D) in one of the nation’s most competitive Senate races.
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