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Texas Senate candidate James Talarico is looking to become the Lone Star State’s first Democrat to represent his party in the Senate since Lloyd Bentsen. And many in legacy media, just as they did with former dream candidate Beto O’Rourke, are doing everything they can to brand Talarico as a moderate. The candidate himself is well aware that woke liberals cannot win in Texas statewide.
“They’re going to throw everything they have at us. They’re gonna call me a radical leftist,” Talarico told supporters on Tuesday night after defeating Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-TX) in the state’s Democratic primary.
After looking at Talarico’s past statements, painting him as a radical leftist may be easy. In the spirit of The Late Show with David Letterman, here are the top 10 things Talarico has said that will make Texans think twice before pulling the lever for him.
10. “White skin gives me and every white American immunity from the virus [of racism]. But we spread it wherever we go — through our words, our actions, and our systems. We don’t have to be showing symptoms — like a white hood or a Confederate flag — to be contagious.”
9. “Being Christian and being pro-choice are absolutely consistent because Christianity is a feminist religion.”
8. “It’s time to tear down this secret police force [referring to Immigration and Customs Enforcement] … we need to prosecute agents … we need to haul in these masked men.”
7. “Our trans community needs abortion care too.”
6. “We have to reverse all the cuts … I think universal [government-run healthcare] coverage should be non-negotiable.”
5. “Did they teach you in Sunday school that Jesus Christ himself was a radical feminist?”
4. “The Texas Capitol can be a hostile environment for our trans neighbors. Our office is the first in the history of the Capitol to add pronouns to our official business cards.”
3. “God is both masculine and feminine and everything in between. God is nonbinary.”
2. “Trans children are God’s children made in God’s own image. There is nothing wrong with them, nothing at all.”
1. “I have met so many Hindus, Buddhists, Sikhs, Jews, Muslims, atheists, agnostics who are more Christ-like than some of the Christians I serve with.”
And this guy thinks he is going to win in Texas!
To be certain, Talarico is more than just a radical. He is an extreme radical for speaking in public like this. But that isn’t stopping legacy media from attempting to turn him into a “moderate.”
New York Times: “Talarico’s Win in Texas Shows That Nice Guys Can Finish First.” And yes, reporter Lisa Lerer actually wrote this in her report:
“His message amounted to an audacious bet that in a divided and increasingly violent political era, he could appeal to voters with a call for love instead of rage … Mr. Talarico wrapped his own opposition in Scripture and optimism for a more compassionate future, rooted in his Christian faith and background as a seminarian. He pushed Democrats to welcome disaffected Trump voters through the language of faith and working-class economic anxiety. His stump speech often ended with a call for voters to embrace compassion and unite in hard times.”
Washington Post: “Texan James Talarico Becomes a Fresh Face of Democrats’ Midterm Hopes After Senate Primary Win.” There are puff pieces, and then there’s whatever this is:
“In the closing stretch of the primary campaign, Talarico posed for pictures and greeted the singer of a Tejano band playing in a San Antonio neighborhood. Inside his campaign rally that day, Lori Alvarez, a 39-year-old who works for a disaster relief nonprofit, said she supported Talarico because ‘he really listens to what we need.’”
Talarico’s PR team couldn’t have written it better. And the same piece didn’t have anything resembling scrutiny around Talarico’s past statements.
CBS News correspondent Ed O’Keefe swooned over 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.”
Again, no mention of Talarico’s past comments, which any sane member of the church would reject.
On ABC’s Good Morning America, reporter Rachel Scott said Talarico is “emphasizing unity, really trying to appeal to moderates” and implied that fearful “Republicans know they do have a fight on their hands.”
And of course, on MS Now, former Biden White House press secretary Jen Psaki invited three-time loser O’Rourke on to opine about Talarico. “This is one of, if not the most talented, politicians I have ever seen. When Talarico wins, Texas will save the country!”
This is the Democratic strategy for 2026 and 2028: Run radicals and dress them up as moderates, all with the assumption that legacy media will happily play along. It worked in 2025 with the elections of Abigail Spanberger and Mikie Sherrill in gubernatorial races in Virginia and New Jersey, respectively.
Both candidates were branded as moderate. Both candidates won easily.
And now both are governing hard to the left. This is especially true of Spanberger, who is attempting to wipe out Republican representation in a purple-ish state through redistricting — after campaigning on not going down this road — all while proposing dozens of new taxes and vowing never to work with ICE. Sherrill is doing essentially the same in New Jersey.
Does James Talarico have a shot in Texas?
TRUMP OUSTS NOEM, HIRES MULLEN TO TAKE HER PLACE
Yes. Call it a 20% to 25% shot.
But if we had an honest media that reported on him with the same scrutiny and snark they would for any Republican, those chances in Texas would be slim to none.
