On Wednesday, ABC and CBS were nauseatingly in awe on their flagship newscasts of far-left Texas State Representative James Talarico — who believes, among other things, God was non-binary and that Mary would support abortion — as possessing “cross-partisan appeal” in a campaign “emphasizing unity” to pull in “moderates” to deliver Texas the first statewide Democrat win since 1994.
CBS sent senior White House and campaign correspondent Ed O’Keefe to Austin, Texas, who reported back on CBS Mornings that Talarico had “put off his seminary studies in order to launch this campaign, believing he can combine support from Democrats, independents in this state and Republicans upset with the President.”
In a second live-shot that aired in some time zones (due to a CBS News Special Report on a Pentagon briefing), O’Keefe boasted of Talarico’s “cross-partisan appeal” with a “Christian progressive approach, that you can be rooted in your faith” and “make a faith-based argument as to why the country needs to change.”
WATCH: Wednesday’s ‘CBS Mornings’ fawns over Texas Democrat James Talarico’s “cross-partisan appeal,” “Christian progressive approach, that you can be rooted in your faith” and “make a faith-based argument as to why the country needs to change” that could “pull support from… pic.twitter.com/yjBXBJ9xwr
— Curtis Houck (@CurtisHouck) March 4, 2026
All this, he argued, could “pull support from independents and Republican voters…upset with state and national Republican leadership.”
O’Keefe returned for the CBS Evening News and declared Democrats think Talarico — “a Christian progressive” with “record-setting turnout” — “could be the one to finally help them win a statewide race here for the first time since the 1990s” by delivering “a coalition of traditional Democratic voters, Latinos, new primary voters, and Republicans switching sides.”
Over on the leftist ABC, Good Morning America saw virulent Trump hater Rachel Scott gush that Talarico has been “emphasizing unity, really trying to appeal to moderates” and has served as proof “Republicans know they do have a fight on their hands” to hold onto a Senate seat.
On ABC’s ‘Good Morning America,’ correspondent @RachelVScott gushed that Texas Democrat James Talarico has been “emphasizing unity, really trying to appeal to moderates” and has served as proof “Republicans know they do have a fight on their hands” to hold onto a Senate seat pic.twitter.com/lYTGFp9n1a
— Curtis Houck (@CurtisHouck) March 4, 2026
ABC’s World News Tonight sent chief Washington correspondent Jonathan Karl to Texas to speak with Talarico. Before he giddily dumped on the Republicans, Karl bragged Talarico is “an aspiring Presbyterian minister” denouncing “what he calls the politics of division, emphasizing compassion” (click “expand”):
MUIR: Now to the first major primary in the midterm election year, the Senate showdown in Texas. Democrats tonight hopeful they might have a chance in Texas pointing to turnout last night. On the Republican side, quite a political battle ahead. And here’s Jonathan Karl.
KARL: Tonight, Democrats see an opening in deep red Texas. State lawmaker James Talarico — an aspiring Presbyterian minister — defeated Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett in the primary to be the Democratic candidate for Senate. Talarico is running against what he calls the politics of division, emphasizing compassion. [TO TALARICO] Now, I notice you don’t talk about Trump very much. At least if your ads, it’s not, like, much of a factor. Why is that?
TALARICO: Aren’t we all tired talking about Donald Trump? It’s been ten years. I want to talk about something else.
In contrast to the hints of swoon on ABC and CBS both day and night, NBC’s Today was far more straightforward with senior Capitol Hill correspondent Ryan Nobles splitting time between the Texas Senate, House, and North Carolina Senate races.
But most notably, Nobles did not attach an ideological ID to anyone, Democrat or Republican (click “expand”):
NOBLES: This first primary of the midterm calendar does give us a real sense of where the battle is headed, with enthusiastic Democrats turning out the vote and President Trump once again looming large over the Republican contests. This morning, legal chaos in Texas’ elections after fears that some voters went to the wrong polling places, some locations were ordered to stay open , but then overturned by the Texas Supreme Court, leaving votes cast after 7:00 p.m. local time in limbo. It’s a sign of how hotly contested these races are, including the Democratic Senate primary. NBC News projecting that James Talarico has defeated Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett.
TALARICO: This is a truly a campaign of, by, and for the people.
NOBLES: The victory setting up a Texas-sized showdown this November in the Lone Star State, as Democrats try to flip a statewide seat ere for the first time in three decades. The Republican Senate primaries heading towards a bruising runoff in may, with John Cornyn fighting for his political survival against Ken Paxton, after neither candidate won a majority of the vote. Cornyn taking aim at Paxton, who was impeached, but later acquitted by the state Senate of bribery and corruption charges in 2023.
(….)
NOBLES: And a stunner on the House side, with Republican Dan Crenshaw, the only Texas GOP House incumbent who did not have President Trump’s endorsement, losing his race. In North Carolina, another critical race taking shape. The state’s former Democratic governor, Roy Cooper, clinching his party’s nomination overnight, facing former Republican National Committee chair, Michael Watley, who was endorsed by President Trump, another race heavily influenced by the President.
(….)
NOBLES: Look, we’re still several months out from the general election. But the Democrats that I spoke to were very pleased with the incredible voter turnout in their primaries last night. For instance, in Texas, with competitive races on both sides of the ballot, more Democrats voted in the primary yesterday than did Republicans, which is rare for that red state. But Republicans still feel confident they can hold the Senate, because they currently control the majority of the seats up for re-election this cycle.
But on NBC Nightly News, anchor Tom Llamas touted the “new momentum for Texas Democrats” before giving way to Capitol Hill correspondent Melanie Zanona, who harped on the Republicans needing a runoff to settle on a nominee and celebrating Talarico for having “leaned on his Christian faith and pointed to his electability, highlighting the record-breaking voter turnout in the state.”
To see the relevant transcripts from March 4, click here (for ABC’s Good Morning America), here (for ABC’s World News Tonight), here (for CBS Mornings), here (for the CBS Evening News), here (for NBC’s Today), and here (for NBC Nightly News).
To see the relevant transcripts from March 4, click here (for ABC’s Good Morning America), here (for ABC’s World News Tonight), here (for CBS Mornings), here (for the CBS Evening News), here (for NBC’s Today), and here (for NBC Nightly News).
