Democrat U.S. Senate candidate James Talarico has faced recent scrutiny for his decision to maintain a secret romantic relationship with his former high-level staffer turned abortion lobbyist Brianna Menard.
As Townhall dug into the matter, it showed that Talarico’s assertion that the couple began their relationship shortly after departing his staff did not add up. Talarico’s own statements indicate that they started dating while Menard still worked in his office, with a social media post from Menard giving the theory even more weight. Ultimately, statements from Talarico’s state legislature colleagues show that he used his power and influence to secure his girlfriend a job in another office.
In a now-scrubbed Instagram post, Menard uploaded an erotic sung poem about a mysterious individual in March 2022, after she had begun working in Talarico's office. The date closely aligns with Talarico's statement about the pair having dated for four years. https://t.co/OMtkx0198T pic.twitter.com/z75khKw4BG
— Joe Chalfant (@JoeChalfant) May 30, 2026
Newly acquired information shows that Menard was not the first legislative love-interest of Talarico’s. A social media post from Irma Reyes, a well-known figure in the Texas Capitol, maintained a relationship with Talarico while she was a staffer in the Texas House through 2021. Reyes has since set her account status to private.
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Unlike his relationship with Menard, Talarico was extremely open about the fact that engaged in a relationship with a questionable power dynamic. Numerous social media posts that remain available confirm that the pair were dating, including photos of flowers and art work Talarico provided to Reyes that contained heart-filled emojis. Archived content included Valentine’s Day “marching orders” from Reyes, photos of the pair at “nerd prom” in which an individual commented that they were a “power couple,” and a birthday message from Reyes to Talarico in which she celebrates his “huge heart.”
Happy birthday to the incredible Irma Reyes. I think she liked my flowers 😍 @irmaabb pic.twitter.com/dKQDgxZj1r
— James Talarico (@jamestalarico) June 8, 2019
I used the exact same picture for her birthday gift! pic.twitter.com/s3MCWPNiXx
— James Talarico (@jamestalarico) June 9, 2020
The relationship was seemingly quite serious, as Reyes’ parents were invited to Talarico’s campaign stops where the group would take a photo afterward. Reyes’ comments were commonplace under Talarico’s social media posts as well, with her regularly commenting under his posts with heart-eyes emojis, congratulating him for securing a position as a consultant, and suggesting that her Christmas wish was to watch a popular movie with Talarico. She further referred to herself as Talarico’s “muse.”
Talarico reciprocated these public comments, saying in one post that he would like to create a “fan club” for Reyes. Social media activity from Talarico shows him interacting with Reyes’ Facebook posts and the pair attending events together.
While Reyes did not work in Talarico’s legislative office, campaign finance reports reveal that she received tens of thousands of dollars in payouts from the Texas House Democratic Caucus, of which Talarico is a member. Two payments totaling $5,281.47 came from 2021, or within the 5 year timeframe that Reyes provided for their relationship.
This is the second relationship of Talarico’s which may indicate that he used his position to secure benefits for his romantic partner.