James Talarico, the Democrat nominee for the U.S. Senate seat in Texas, is undergoing a transition operation as he attempts to hide his progressive background behind a moderate facade.
Talarico joined life-long Democrat lawyer Dan Cogdell for his podcast, where Talarico took the opportunity to distance himself from a number of policies that the candidate spent his career in the Texas House advancing.
Most notably, Talarico attempted to claim that he opposed “gender reassignment” surgeries for minors. Texas voters likely remember Talarico’s viral comments about loving trans children, but his voting record is even more startling. Talarico was one of the 56 Democrats to vote against a 2023 bill to prohibit transition surgeries for minors or the taxpayer-funding of such procedures. Talarico went as far as to call the bill “the most dangerous bill that’s being heard on this floor this session.”
So Talarico isn't proud of his voting record? He voted against SB14 in 2023, the bill the prohibited "gender reassignment" surgeries for minors as well as taxpayer-funding for those operations. https://t.co/26EBcHTcn1
— Joe Chalfant (@JoeChalfant) June 8, 2026
Texas Democrat U.S. Senate candidate James Talarico loves trans kids.
— Steve Guest (@SteveGuest) March 9, 2026
HOST: "Something that you love that's not family or friends?"
TALARICO: "I love and I'm just saying this because it's on my mind, the trans children." pic.twitter.com/tsShUhhV2W
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Talarico further indicated in the interview that he “is a believer in the Second Amendment.” Previous statements from Talarico show that he desired a ban on semi-automatic firearms that are common-place in the state of Texas. His campaign website has called for universal background checks as well as restrictions on purchasing semi-automatic rifles.
James Talarico is lying when he says he's "a believer in the Second Amendment."
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) June 8, 2026
Talarico said having guns "encourages violence against black sons and black daughters," led legislation restricting handgun sales, & tried to prevent Texas from being a constitutional carry state. pic.twitter.com/N8zcongq4I
In 2020, James Talarico was out attacking Trump for "allowing weapons of war on our streets"
— ATX data (@data_atx) May 2, 2026
( Obviously indicating that he wanted a ban on AR-15s )
Now, running for Senate, he is acting like he is a big 2nd amendment guy and would never take someones guns
Not Credible! pic.twitter.com/DLfyI17sCu
Those weren’t the only issues on which Talarico attempted to hide from his past. During the interview, Talarico labeled himself as a “border security Democrat.” Talarico’s campaign website has called for an amnesty for illegal aliens who successfully managed to avoid deportation for a lengthy period, as well as a program to grant citizenship for illegals who marry an American citizen. He’s also pushed for policies similar to those of the most radical progressives in the country, like a prohibition on masking for ICE agents.
James Talarico lies and says he is a "border security Democrat."
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) June 8, 2026
Talarico said "we should treat our southern border like our front porch," called to defund law enforcement, slanders ICE as "secret police," and thinks Obama's failed border policy was too extreme. pic.twitter.com/Pk7ttjKVh3
His record hasn’t done him any favors on that front either, as comments from 2019 show that he believed that even Barack Obama’s immigration policy was too extreme for his liking and has called for the defunding of ICE.
Texas Democrat James Talarico in 2019 complained that Obama's failed border policy was too extreme.
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) May 19, 2026
Talarico can't be trusted to protect Texans from violent criminal illegals.pic.twitter.com/KuN28TjZlv
James Talarico - who supports defunding the police - now calls to defund immigration enforcement officers, slandering them as "secret police."
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) May 27, 2026
Talarico doesn't stand with law enforcement officers, he stands with criminals. pic.twitter.com/qfcbuD4l2k
In perhaps the most concerning flip-flop for Texans, Talarico proudly stated that Texas needed to work to protect the state’s oil and gas industry. The candidate had previously advanced a bill that would require “climate change lessons” in public schools and a Green New Deal style bill to slash emissions output to 10 percent of 1990 levels by the year 2050.
James Talarico: “We have to protect good paying oil and gas jobs.”
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) June 8, 2026
Talarico introduced a bill in the Texas Legislature to try and eliminate the oil and gas industry in Texas.
Talarico is a fraud. pic.twitter.com/5GP9iDDVuI
The interview that attempted to transition from one of the most progressive legislators in Texas to a “sensible” everyman moderate began with Talarico forcing down BBQ in an attempt to dispel claims about veganism.
Talarico will take on Republican nominee Ken Paxton in the general election in November.
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