A lawyer who defended Ken Paxton during the Texas attorney general's 2023 impeachment trial has endorsed Democrat James Talarico in the state's U.S. Senate race.

Houston defense attorney Dan Cogdell, a Democrat who represented Paxton during both his long-running securities fraud case and his successful impeachment defense, announced he's backing Talarico in what is shaping up to be one of the nation's most closely watched Senate contests, NOTUS reported.

Cogdell said Paxton, the Republican nominee and a close ally of President Donald Trump, has strayed from his responsibilities as attorney general.

"I defended Ken Paxton for years in the impeachment trial and in state criminal cases," Cogdell said during an interview on his podcast with Talarico.

"But in my view, respectfully, I think Ken has lost sight of his core mission, which is to represent the people of Texas," he added.

Cogdell praised Talarico, a Democrat state representative, as a candidate capable of building support beyond traditional party lines.

"Unlike Ken, I believe to my core that James Talarico believes in unity over division," Cogdell said.

Talarico quickly seized on the endorsement as evidence of his effort to attract disaffected Republicans and independents.

"If you voted for [Sen.] John Cornyn, you have a place in this campaign," Talarico said. "If you're a Republican tired of the corruption you're seeing in government, you have a place in this campaign.

"Even if you're Ken Paxton's impeachment lawyer, you have a place in this campaign."

The endorsement comes just weeks after Paxton defeated longtime incumbent Cornyn in a bruising Republican runoff backed by Trump.

The primary battle exposed divisions within the GOP, with establishment Republicans largely supporting Cornyn, while many grassroots conservatives rallied behind Paxton.

Paxton's campaign and allies brushed aside Cogdell's endorsement.

"I love Dan, but he is a Democrat, and he doesn't vote very much," said state Rep. Mitch Little, who also served on Paxton's defense team, The Texas Tribune reported.

"This impeachment defense lawyer is 100% behind Ken Paxton."

Republicans have also noted that Cogdell's anti-Trump comments became a campaign issue during the primary.

The National Republican Senatorial Committee previously described him as a "Trump-hating Democrat" in now-deleted campaign materials.

Despite the endorsement, Paxton remains a formidable candidate among Texas conservatives.

His landslide runoff victory demonstrated strong grassroots support, even after years of legal battles, impeachment proceedings, and attacks from political opponents.

The race between Paxton and Talarico is expected to attract national attention and massive spending as Democrats seek their first statewide victory in Texas in more than three decades while Republicans aim to keep the traditionally red state firmly in the GOP column.