Candidate Spotlight: James Talarico
Could Texas Might Be Headed Towards Change With James Talarico?
Texas state representative James Talarico has taken a risky approach in his campaign for the U.S. Senate. That approach is to openly discuss, and to campaign, based on his religious beliefs. This year, a progressive campaign openly based on religious values may succeed, and it could flip Sen. John Cronyn’s Senate seat to a Democrat.
For decades, conservative candidates in Texas and nationally have leaned on religious messaging, opposing abortion, LGBTQ+ rights, and promoting policies like requiring the Ten Commandments in schools. Progressive candidates, by contrast, have largely avoided explicit religious appeals, reflecting a more religiously diverse base that often prefers to express values in secular terms.
Talarico is different. A Presbyterian seminarian, he frames today’s political divide not as left versus right, but as top versus bottom: those who hold power versus those living paycheck to paycheck. “Billionaires want us looking left and right at each other so that we’re not looking up at them.”
His worldview is rooted in a simple teaching passed down from his grandfather, a Baptist preacher: “love God and love your neighbor.” Talarico added, “Christianity is both spiritual and political, because politics is really just another word for how we treat our neighbors, how we treat each other in a society.”
Talarico proposed raising the minimum wage to $15 per hour, end the extreme tax breaks for large corporations, protect retirement benefits, make sure AI works for working people, enacting the PRO Act, and otherwise protect working people.
He is also direct in his criticism of Christian nationalism, calling it “the worship of power, social power, economic power, political power, in the name of Christ” and a betrayal of Jesus’ teachings. Instead, Talarico points to early Christianity, before it was intertwined with state power, as a model grounded in community and justice.
That message is resonating with voters disillusioned by traditional politics. His authenticity stands out: his faith is not a campaign strategy but a defining part of his identity, shaping both his policy positions and public service. At the same time, Talarico is a sharp political operator. He has challenged censorship efforts in schools with pointed critiques and pushed back against proposals like placing unlicensed religious chaplains in public schools.
On the Republican side, the race is deeply contentious. Sen. John Cornyn faces Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton in a bruising runoff. The campaign between the two Republicans has been marked by personal attacks and escalating hostility.
Paxton is an exceptionally controversial candidate, with the Texas House voting 121-23 to impeach Paxton in 2023. There were only 64 Democrats in that body at the time. The articles of impeachment accused Paxton of committing inappropriate favors for donors, interfering in federal investigations, and retaliating against whistleblowers.
After the Texas Senate voted to acquit him, Paxton’s wife, a state senator, filed a divorce petition against Paxton on, ironically, “biblical grounds.” Those grounds were Paxton’s extramarital affair of at least seven years, evidence of which was presented in the Texas Senate impeachment trial.
Cronyn has accused Paxton of being a “wife cheater and fraud.” One recent ad shows a sign to “Ken’s Love Shack.” Paxton released an AI-generated ad that shows Cronyn being the “dance partner” to Rep. Jasmine Crockett, Talarico’s primary election opponent. Cornyn released an ad that claimed that Paxton had violated the Ten Commandments, while Paxton accused Cronyn of betraying Trump in 2024.
Polling currently shows Talarico narrowly leading both potential opponents. If Paxton secures the nomination, the general election could present a stark contrast: a candidate campaigning on faith-driven calls for integrity and economic justice versus one dogged by allegations of corruption and hypocrisy.
As the Republican primary grows more divisive, Talarico’s message, rooted in faith, fairness, and authenticity, may gain even more traction.
This will be a fascinating and potentially fateful election for the Senate. Will Christian belief prevail over un-Christian practices? In seven months, we will find out the answer to that question.
Written By Barry Roseman, SU4W Board Treasurer
