Tipsheet

Who Is James Talarico?

Jeff Charles
Jeff Charles  |  March 04, 2026 2:15 PM

State Rep. James Talarico is the Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate in Texas after defeating U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett in the primary race. The campaign represented an intraparty fight over strategy, identity politics and how Democrats should compete in red states.

Texas’ Democratic voters appeared to reject the bombastic, aggressive approach used by politicians like Crockett in favor of someone they believe can appeal to a wider swath of Texans without relying on “Orange Man Bad” as the primary messaging strategy.

However, it appears Talarico might have some fatal flaws that could prevent him from winning over enough Texas voters to defeat the Republican incumbent, a feat Democrats have not achieved in Texas since 1988.

Talarico is a three-term Texas House member and former public school teacher. He is known for focusing on matters related to education and youth. He was first elected in 2018 after having taught middle school in San Antonio. He served on the Public Education Committee, Juvenile Justice and Family Issues Committee, and the Calendars Committee.

Unlike most Democratic politicians, the 36-year-old nominee often touts his Christian faith in his campaign speeches. He has spoken at several churches throughout his political career and framed his beliefs as a “politics of love.”

He earned a Master of Divinity degree from Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary. But apparently, he didn’t pay much attention in class or read his Bible very often. During an appearance on Joe Rogan’s podcast, he claimed the Bible supports abortion. His proof? The story of Mary.

Mary is probably my favorite figure in the Bible. Mother of Jesus. She has a vision from God. She's going to give birth to a baby who's going to bring the powerful down from their thrones. But I say all this in terms of. In context of abort, because God asks for Mary's consent. The angel comes down and asks Mary if this is something she wants to do. And she says, if it is God's will, let it be done, Let it be. So to me, that is an affirmation in one of our most central stories. Creation has to be done with consent.

Nowhere in any of the four gospels does God ask Mary if she wants to carry the Messiah. In fact, the angel Gabriel informs her of this destiny, which she accepts. The request for consent only appears in the Gospel of Talarico, apparently.

The candidate has also made other questionable comments that might not exactly endear him to Texas voters. While speaking in front of an audience, he claimed trans-identified people need abortion care too.

Talarico also believes there are six genders. But to be fair, most of his comrades believe there are infinite numbers of genders, so maybe he’s more of a conservative compared to them.

Talarico has shown a propensity for reaching across the aisle and engaging with folks who might not share all of his beliefs. This skill will certainly be put to the test regardless of who the Republicans nominate. Polls show Talarico performing better against Texas Attorney General Paxton than he would against Sen. John Cornyn. The Republican primary will have its runoff election on May 26.