By R.J. Morales | TX3DNews
ALLEN, Texas — Shortly after Ken Paxton began speaking Tuesday night at a packed campaign event in Allen, a woman in the room stood up holding a James Talarico campaign sign.
The woman, identified in this story by her first name, Ellen, made her way toward the exit using a walker as several people in the crowd shouted at her. One man could be heard repeatedly yelling, “Shame on you.”
Ellen said she recognized the man from a memorial service she attended the previous Saturday. According to Ellen, he had thanked her for her military service and told her he was “too chicken to serve.”
Ellen told TX3DNews she expected she might be escorted out once she displayed the sign. But she said creating a disruption wasn’t why she went.
Why She Went to a Paxton Rally
“I was really hoping to engage Paxton supporters in intelligent, respectful conversation about the integrity, values, and message that Talarico supports,” Ellen said.
Ellen said she historically voted for candidates rather than political parties, but that changed with Donald Trump.
“I have always voted for the person, not the party until Donald Trump,” she said, adding that Trump’s “lack of integrity and values” led her toward the Democratic Party.
She now supports Talarico in the U.S. Senate race and said she brought his sign “to show my opposition to Paxton and support for Talarico.”
Ellen said she entered the venue with the sign on a seat attached to her walker, underneath her jacket and purse. Before Paxton spoke, she ate and had friendly conversations with people seated around her.
Shortly after Paxton began speaking, she stood and displayed the sign.
“I stood to display my sign and proceeded to walk out as I anticipated being escorted out,” she said.
What Happened on the Way Out
Video posted by conservative commentator Sarah Gonzales, who opened the Paxton event, captured part of what happened as Ellen made her way toward the exit.
“Why do you support communists?” Gonzales asked Ellen as she walked with her sign and walker.
Ellen responded by questioning why Gonzales supported a “criminal and adulterer.” Gonzales later asked her, “What are the six genders?”
Ellen said she told those around her not to touch her or her walker because she was concerned about falling.
The video later captured Gonzales accusing Ellen of assaulting her with the sign. Ellen responded, “You tried to trip me.”
Ellen told TX3DNews she raised the sign to protect her face when Gonzales’ phone came close to her and denied intentionally assaulting her. Ellen said Gonzales attempted to trip her during the encounter.
The available video does not clearly show what happened immediately before the exchange, so neither claim can be independently confirmed from the footage.
Another attendee, Cheryl Watson Wurtz, said in a public Facebook comment that she witnessed part of the encounter as Ellen passed her table. Wurtz wrote that a Paxton supporter was accusing Ellen of assault and that Ellen “ignored the baiting and walked out with no altercation.” Wurtz described the other woman as trying to provoke a confrontation.
“As people were screaming at me from different directions, I just planted a smile on my face and proceeded to walk out,” Ellen said.
Once outside, Ellen said she asked a police officer to escort her to her vehicle, which he did.
“No One Paid Me”
Before reaching her car, Ellen said a man asked whether she had been paid to attend the event.
“No one paid me, but I had paid to do this through my military service,” she recalled telling him.
Ellen is a Navy veteran and registered nurse. She said her father served in the Air Force during World War II and the Korean War, her grandfather served in the Army Air Corps and an uncle served in the Navy.
“As a veteran, the daughter of a WWII and Korean Conflict Air Force veteran, the granddaughter of an Army Air Corps veteran, and the niece of a Navy veteran, I feel it is my responsibility to carry on the tradition of defending my country, the Constitution, and the Bill of Rights,” she said.
Now in her 70s, Ellen regularly participates in peaceful demonstrations dressed as Lady Liberty.
“I peacefully protest regularly as Lady Liberty as I believe in everything she stands for — most especially the Constitution,” she said.
She said Tuesday was the first time she had attended a rally or political event held by the opposing party.
“I have never before attended a rally or event of the opposing party,” Ellen said. “I had hoped to engage in civil discourse, not to be disruptive.”
Paxton Campaign Asked for Its Account
It remains unclear who decided Ellen should leave the event. TX3DNews contacted the Paxton campaign for its account of what happened and its policy regarding opposing campaign signs. No response had been received as of publication.
Ellen said she hopes those who saw what happened understand why she says she was there.
“What I would like for some of those who opposed me that night to believe is that I truly wanted to engage in civil and respectful discourse,” she said.
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