Alyssa Edwards responds with open letter to Ken Paxton campaign attack
Share
Ken Paxton penned a new post targeting Edwards and opponent James Talarico on Tuesday, in an attempt to vilify the Texas Democratic Senate candidate and popular drag queen.
Talarico and Paxton are currently running against each other in the 2026 Texas U.S. Senate race to replace U.S. Senator John Cornyn, who lost to Paxton in the primary runoff election.
The post, captioned "VIEWER WARNING…Meet Alyssa Edwards: James Talarico’s favorite sick and twisted drag queen." It compiles Edwards' performances, including those in front of young children whose faces are blurred, and a clip of an interviewer asking Talarico who his favorite drag performer is.
The clip ends with a derogatory sign-off: "James Talarico: Too Weird, Too Radical for Texas."
🚨VIEWER WARNING🚨 Meet Alyssa Edwards: James Talarico’s favorite sick and twisted drag queen. https://t.co/P9jZ37ctbh
— Attorney General Ken Paxton (@KenPaxtonTX) September 22, 2026
This isn't the first time Texas Attorney General Paxton has ridiculed the two figures. On September 14, Paxton asked X followers, “What normal person can name their favorite drag queen this quickly?"
The original tweet included the clip of Talarico answering the question while at a campaign event.
"When James Talarico isn’t advocating for children to dress in drag, he’s watching drag performances and saying that Texas produces the best drag queens. James Talarico is too weird and too radical for Texas."
Alyssa herself has officially responded to Paxton's video with a lengthy open letter to the politician.
"I'm not sure I fully understand your motive or intention in attempting to disparage my name, my character, or my reputation," wrote Edwards, whose birth name is Justin Johnson.
"But I do know this: the way we choose to speak about others often says far more about our own character than it ever will about theirs."
She goes on to introduce herself by sharing her proud Texan roots and drag inspiration she took from iconic films like "Miss Doubtfire and Patrick Swayze in 'To Wong Foo'."
An open letter to @KenPaxtonTX https://t.co/pkrncQKfzD
— Alyssa Edwards (@AlyssaEdwards_1) September 23, 2026
She goes on to share her work with children in her Beyond Belief Dance Company and says her Baptist and Christian faith from childhood remains a big part of her life today.
"My life may look different from yours, but difference does not diminish character, faith, service, or a person's ability to positively contribute to their community," she wrote.
"Ultimately, I am proud of who I am. I know who I am. I know what I stand for, and what I still hope to accomplish."
"Texas is big enough for all of us."
The attack was enough for Alyssa's publicist, Waylon Tate, to weigh in on the politician’s “fascination” with Texas’ fave drag queen.
“What started with James Talarico naming his favorite Texas drag queen has become a political dog and pony show,” writes Tate in the captions of the video.
"Alyssa's name is being used as political ammunition in a U.S.-centered race she isn't running in," he said in Tuesday's post to Instagram.