Democratic Texas state Rep. James Talarico declares for U.S. Senate seat
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James Talarico, center left, appearing at a South by Southwest event in 2024. Photo: Jason Bollenbacher/SXSW Conference & Festivals via Getty Images
Texas state Rep. James Talarico (D-Austin) announced Tuesday he's running for the Democratic nomination for the U.S. Senate seat currently held by Republican John Cornyn.
Why it matters: Talarico, a 36-year-old trained pastor and former public school teacher, has won social media fame for his criticism of Republican legislation as un-Christian, but he has little name recognition statewide.
- In a sense, he has the messaging and demeanor of the late Jimmy Carter, crossed with the TikTok know-how of Zohran Mamdani, the unlikely Democratic nominee for New York mayor.
State of play: Talarico, who was first elected to the state House in 2018, will face former Dallas-area U.S. Rep. Colin Allred and Houston retired astronaut Terry Virts in the Democratic primary. Former U.S. Rep. Beto O'Rourke has not said if he will join the race.
- Meanwhile, Cornyn is being challenged by Attorney General Ken Paxton in the Republican primary. U.S. Rep. Wesley Hunt (R-Houston) could join the race.
We caught up on Monday with Talarico, who tells us he won't be running for reelection for his Texas House seat, to ask why he's running for the U.S. Senate.
- This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.
What will the major themes of your run be?
"I firmly believe all 30 million Texans deserve a senator who represents their interests and not the interests of billionaire megadonors — and sadly, that's what we've seen from John Cornyn and Ken Paxton."
Republicans won statewide elections in 2024 by roughly double digits. What do you see in the political tea leaves that makes you think there's an opening for a Democrat?
"When I was growing up here, Republicans won statewide elections by 25-30 points. Now it's 2.5 points to 11 points. The trendline is unmistakable, and elections have grown more competitive in the last decade — Trump won more narrowly than in 2016. The last time Trump was in the White House, we saw close midterm elections in 2018."
How much money do you need to raise to make this race successful?
"It'll be many millions of dollars, unfortunately, with the political system we've got right now. The good news is there are a bunch of fired-up people across this state willing to fund a grassroots campaign to take power back from the most powerful people in this state."
Why should Democratic primary voters cast a ballot for you — as opposed to Allred or Virts?
"I like Colin Allred and Terry Virts, and in a modern campaign it's not good to talk about how much like your opponents. But I traveled the state for Colin in 2024, and he'd make a fine U.S. senator — infinitely better than Cornyn or Paxton. I'm not interested in tearing down fellow Texas Democrats, but instead in talking about the particular skills and values I have to win in the general."
- "The quorum break, appearing on Joe Rogan's show, has given me the opportunity to hear from so many Texans, who are really hungry for something different, for a reset not just of the Democratic Party, but of politics generally. I can provide that alternative."
Is the Beto campaign in 2018, in which he visited every Texas county, a roadmap for what your campaign will look like? Or are we in a different era with TikTok?
"When I first got elected, in 2018, I flipped a Trump district nobody thought we could win. I know what it is to be an underdog — and it's a position I relish because it leaves me free to try new things."
- "That's what I did in 2018 — I walked my entire district — 25 miles — in a single day, holding town halls and putting it on Facebook Live. The appearance on Joe Rogan is an indication of how I will be campaigning — going places you might not expect to go. It'll take an unconventional campaign to flip Texas. Cookie-cutter campaigns are not going to cut it."
You've made your name with these moments in which you argue that GOP legislation is un-Christian. Are you hoping to peel off moderate Republicans with that message? Or at the end of the day, do voters care more what jersey you have on — does it have an R or D on it?
"We don't need Republican primary voters to support me — but we need voters disillusioned with the political environment, with Republican extremism, to join me in this effort."
- "I've shown ... that I can build bridges to folks not in the Democratic coalition. That's exactly what I want to do. And faith is a part of that — it's a shared moral vocabulary, and it's something Democrats haven't been talking about."