You gotta love candidate James Talarico's messaging as he laid into Republican Ken Paxton. As the two Texans vie for a U.S. Senate seat, Democrat Talarico painted Paxton as the sleazy scammer he is, with a jab at Paxton's Texan-ness, for good measure.

First, Talarico referenced a Lyle Lovett song called "That's Right, You're Not From Texas."

"Come to think of it, he might have written it for Ken Paxton," Talarico added. It was a well-aimed swipe at an opponent who tries to smear the eighth-generation Texan Talarico as somehow not really Texan.

Lovett's lyrics describe a Texas dance hall as "the finest place to be." It's where "The women, they all look beautiful, and their men will buy your beer for free."

"Every Texas bar has those regulars," Talarico said. "The ones who pick up a round, the ones who check on the guy who's drinking alone, the ones who share a laugh or a story or their fried pickles."

Then there's Paxton. Talarico nicely painted him as the scandal-ridden, corrupt slime that he is. "Every bar also has that one guy: He's loud, he's obnoxious, he makes all the women in the bar feel uncomfortable, he hears you say your name to the bartender, and then adds his drink to your tab when you're not looking," Talarico continued. "That's Ken Paxton."

The crowd roared so loud in agreement that Talarico had to wait a beat before getting in his final verbal punch: "And I don't know about y'all, but I'm done picking up his tab!" Talarico exclaimed.

The crowd roared again.