James Talarico
James Talarico is a Texas Democrat liberal and a state representative who ran in the 2026 primary election to become the nominee for the U.S. Senate election,[1] which is currently held by Moderate Republican John Cornyn.
Talarico defeated Rep. Jasmine Crockett in an alleged upset in the Texas Democrat primary[2] as well as Ahmad Hassan (who was generally considered a "also-ran" candidate).
During campaigning, Talarico was considered the front-runner in the Democrat primary for most of the time until his racist comments about a primary opponent became public[3]; and Crockett took a polling lead thereafter but was unable to hold it. Chris Bray of The Federalist noted the Texas primary may bring us closer to the daily heartburn of a Sen. James Talarico endlessly sermonizing on the biblical mandate for pediatric phalloplasty and trans abortions.[4]
In polling which took place before the primaries closed, he polled roughly even with Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton (who finished second in the GOP primary and headed to the runoff), but behind Congressman Wesley Hunt (who finished third) and did even worse against Cornyn (who had the most votes). Later polling, after the primary, showed Talarico ahead of Paxton by margins outside the margin of error and ahead of Cornyn as well (however, the polling was done by a Democrat-leaning polling firm). After Paxton won his runoff race against Cornyn, polling showed Talarico +3 over Paxton with Libertarian candidate Ted Brown at 1%; however, the polls showed a likely unreliable figure of 30% of Cornyn voters planning to vote for Talarico in the general election (notwithstanding Cornyn's public announcement that he will support the entire Republican ticket - including Paxton - in November).
Border Policy
Talarico boasts (in hopes of garnering Conservative votes through his lies) a moderate border policy, best summed up by his own words, "We should treat our southern border like our front porch. We should have a giant welcome mat out front, and we should have the lock on the door."[5]
Views on Race
Talarico's views on race have been criticized.[6][7]
Talarico is a former Presbyterian seminarian who is the grandson of a Baptist minister. Talarico often refers to the Bible to try to justify his Leftist political positions. However, he favors expanding gambling in Texas (particularly casinos) in hopes that it will bring more jobs among the AI job crisis.
| “ | Talarico’s positions are discordant with many other Christians, progressive or conservative. ... Talarico has received tens of thousands of dollars from a political action committee (PAC) backed by GOP megadonor Miriam Adelson. Although Adelson is perhaps best known for her Israel advocacy, she and her late husband’s wealth is tied up in casinos.[8] | ” |
See also
References
- ↑ https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2026-election/viral-dispute-mediocre-comment-exposes-racial-divides-democrats-texas-rcna257284
- ↑ https://slaynews.com/news/jasmine-crockett-12-point-lead-texas-democrat-senate-primary-new-poll/
- ↑ https://nymag.com/intelligencer/article/jasmine-crockett-vs-james-talarico-primary-turns-into-mess.html
- ↑ https://thefederalist.com/2026/03/04/the-texas-primaries-just-ended-a-bunch-of-jerry-springer-episodes/
- ↑ James Talarico on immigration, his faith, and how Democrats are getting it wrong
- ↑ Allyship in Action: James Talarico Can Prove He’s Not Racist by Ending His Campaign Against Black Excellence, Andrew Stiles, Washington Free Beacon, February 3, 2026
- ↑ Jasmine Crockett Refuses to Back Texas Democrat After Primary Defeat, Nick R. Hamilton, Slay News, June 22, 2026.
- ↑ https://www.levernews.com/the-bible-thumper-and-the-billionaire/