James Talarico, a lawmaker and Democrat, defeated Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett on Wednesday (local time) in the race for the Democratic primary for the Texas Senate.
He will now face the winner of the May 26 Republican runoff, competing against either Sen. John Cornyn or Attorney General Ken Paxton.
Everything you need to know about Attorney General James Talarico
According to his website, Talarico is an eight-generation Texan who previously worked as a middle school teacher, teaching sixth-grade language arts at Rhodes Middle School on San Antonio’s west side.
Talarico studied at the University of Texas at Austin and holds a degree from Harvard University.
He is a Presbyterian seminarian (someone who attends a theological school) and has put his Christian faith at the center of his campaign, gaining a lead over Congresswoman Crockett. According to a New York Times report, Talarico is the grandson of a Baptist preacher and mixes his biblical references into his progressive political arguments. On the Ezra Klein show, he said, “Economic justice is mentioned 3,000 times in our scriptures,” adding, “Nowhere is it seen in Christian nationalism or the religious right.” He says he plans to eventually become a minister.
Talarico’s website says he ran for the Texas House for the first time in 2018. He is known for his campaign engagement with faith-based voters and his progressive politics.
Last month, Talarico recorded a 15-minute interview on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. Although the segment was recorded online, it did not air on television. During the broadcast, Colbert said that CBS’ lawyers strongly advised that the interview could not be televised because of the Trump administration’s guidelines on giving balanced airtime to political candidates. CBS denied that it was preventing the broadcast of the interview. Regardless, the episode proved profitable for Talarico: the clip garnered over two million views on YouTube, and his campaign said it raised about $2.5 million in the 24 hours since it was uploaded.
Talarico was also accused of calling former Rep. Colin Allred “an average black man” during a private conversation. A New York Times report suggests the allegation came from Morgan Thompson, a political content creator who claimed Talarico made the remark at a campaign event in January. Talarico denied the allegations and said his words were twisted.
Talarico is known for bringing his message to conservative and non-traditional media outlets. He previously clashed with the Fox News host and also took part in a two-and-a-half-hour interview with Joe Rogan, a widely followed podcaster whose audience is heavily male. Rogan later said he was impressed when Talarico suggested he consider running for president, calling him a “good guy”.
He also received praise from former President Barack Obama. On comedian Marc Maron’s podcast last October, Obama praised Talarico’s authenticity and integrity, describing him as a “great” and “really talented young man.”
As a state legislator, Talarico has positioned himself as a critic of billionaire mega-donors and what he describes as establishment politicians controlling Texas politics.
Now campaigning for the US Senate, he vows to continue his anti-corruption efforts in Washington and shift power toward working Americans.
