Texas Democratic state Representative James Talarico thinks his party has “forgotten how to fight” at the national level, saying Democrats should be “a little less Washington and a little more Texas.”
The 36-year-old former public school teacher and seminarian officially threw his hat into the ring for the Democratic Senate primary earlier this month, positing that he can accomplish what no other Democrat has done in Texas in more than three decades—win statewide.
With more than 1.5 million followers on Instagram and over 1.3 million on TikTok, Talarico has become accustomed to going viral, particularly as he’s emerged as a prominent voice pushing back against Republicans in the Texas legislature.
“Texas Democrats have shown continually, but especially this year, what it means to play to the fullest extent of the rules and to aggressively confront those who are trying to hurt our constituents,” he told Newsweek in an exclusive Zoom interview on Tuesday.
Why It Matters
Although many analysts expect Democrats to perform well nationally in the coming 2026 midterm elections—due to a historical trend of the opposition party generally overperforming as well as Democrats’ success in recent special elections—the Senate map is expected to be tough for the party. There are few clear pickup opportunities, while several Senate Democrats in swing states won by President Donald Trump in November are on the ballot as well.
Texas has consistently been a state Democrats hope for and ultimately fail to flip during recent election cycles. In 2026, a win in the southwestern state would go a long way to help the party flip the Senate, or at the very least narrow the GOP’s majority. With two other prominent Democrats—former Congressman Colin Allred and former International Space Station commander Colonel Terry Virts—already in the race, and other big names speculated to join, Talarico needs to convince Texas Democrats that he has the best shot of beating a Republican in the general election.
What to Know About James Talarico
Talarico’s politics and viral pushback against Texas Republicans landed him on Joe Rogan’s podcast in July. Although Rogan famously endorsed Trump in the 2024 election, he was apparently impressed by Talarico as well, telling him during the interview, “you need to run for president.”
Asked about this podcast appearance, Talarico told Newsweek that he’s also appeared on Fox News and Christian Broadcasting Network (CBN).
“I think it demonstrates a willingness and I think an approach that I have to engage with anyone and everyone in an open conversation,” he said. “It’s something we haven’t seen in our politics in a long time. We’re all trapped in our bubbles.”
The Texas Democrat routinely touts his Christian faith as the reason for his politics, even when it comes to issues that many see as at odds with Christianity. He’s been an outspoken advocate for LGBTQ+ rights in Texas, particularly defending the transgender community as Republicans have pushed legislation targeting the community in recent years.
During a 2021 speech in the Texas legislature, he said “God is nonbinary” to push back on transgender legislation backed by Republicans. When he announced his Senate campaign, an adviser to incumbent GOP Senator John Cornyn, who faces his own primary challenge from Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, was quick to criticize Talarico by resurfacing the remark.
For his part, Talarico acknowledged that the comment was “provocative,” but said he was just citing what the Bible teaches.
“I don’t think, theologically speaking, any of my fellow believers would disagree that God is beyond gender. I recognized how I phrased it, probably raised some eyebrows, but the idea that in Christ, in God, there is neither male nor female, that is not coming from me,” he said.
“That’s coming from the Apostle Paul. And so if John Cornyn has an issue with that, he should take it up, not with me, but with the letter to the Galatians,” the Texas Democrat said.
James Talarico’s Message to Texas Voters
Talarico told Newsweek that he doesn’t “see politics as left versus right,” but instead “as top versus bottom.”
“I see the billionaires who are trying to divide us with their social media algorithms, with their cable news networks, with the politicians who are fighting on our screens. So I’m trying to bridge those divides,” he said.
He continued, “I’m trying to bring people together across party, across race, across religion and gender, to take power back for working people.”
The Texas Democrat routinely touts his refusal to take corporate PAC money, as well as his effort in his state to reform campaign finance laws. “I’ve literally had to send back checks from Walmart and from Chevron and AT&T, companies that do a lot of work in Texas,” he said.
He also discussed his efforts in Texas to push for legislation to cap campaign contributions, pointing out that the state currently does not have one. “I’m gonna be an outspoken voice about how to fix our broken political system, how to clean up government and get the corruption out of our politics,” he said.
Concerns About Christian Nationalism
As a Christian, he’s also concerned about the rise in Christian nationalism that he sees in the country.
Talarico said that “over the last 40, 50 years,” there has been a “concerted effort by very powerful people in politics to co-opt our Christian faith.”
“Our faith is beyond any political party … It is something deeper than all of that. And so when one party makes this concerted effort to use our faith as a justification for their policies, then that should be concerning to all of us,” he said.
In Texas, on top of his support for abortion access and LGBTQ+ rights, he’s been a leading voice in resisting a Republican bill requiring the Ten Commandments in public schools. He said his position is in line with his faith, while also an effort to defend the First Amendment.
“I come from a tradition that cherishes the separation of church and state in our First Amendment, not just because it protects the state, but because it protects the church,” he said.
“That bill that would use governmental power to force one religious tradition on everyone in our state against their wills,” he said, describing it as “unconstitutional” and “deeply unchristian.”
“We are called to love our neighbors as ourselves. That includes our Jewish and Muslim and Sikh and Buddhist and atheist neighbors and forcing our religion on them is not love,” Talarico said.
Texas Republican Governor Greg Abbott signed the legislation into law in May, and it quickly faced legal challenges, which are playing out in the courts. While standing Supreme Court precedent dating to 1980 (Stone v. Graham) says that posting the Ten Commandments in public schools is unconstitutional, proponents of the Texas law believe the current 6-3 conservative majority Supreme Court may be amenable to revisiting the decades-old ruling.
What People Are Saying
Allred on Talarico entering the race, to CBS Texas: “I welcome anybody to the race. And I think it’s important that we have some of these discussions. I’m confident in what I want to say, who I am and what I bring to the table.”
Cornyn adviser Matt Mackowiak, in a statement: “James Talarico is another radical left-wing Democrat whose values do not align with Texans.”
What Happens Next
It’s unclear whether additional Democrats will enter the race, as several high-profile names—including U.S. Representative Jasmine Crockett and former Congressman Beto O’Rourke—have said they’d consider a run. The Texas primary will be held on March 3.
Full Interview With James Talarico
The following transcript has been lightly edited for clarity.
Newsweek: I know you’ve probably been getting this question a lot, but it’s been over three decades since a Democrat has won statewide in Texas. Why do you think this moment and the 2026 term could be different?
Talarico: I am sensing something growing out in the state of Texas, and honestly across the country, where people are hungry for a new kind of politics that can get us past the divisions and the corruption and the chaos that we’ve experienced over the past 10 years. I hope to speak to that hunger in this campaign. It’s something that spans the political spectrum, spans racial divides, spans geography. And I hope this campaign can bring people together to finally take power back for the people.
I know you’ve been saying in previous interviews that you like Colin Allred, you supported him, you gave him a heads up that you were running, but I want to know, why should Texas voters see you as the better, stronger candidate in this primary?
I’ve done something similar to what I’m trying to do in this campaign before. I first got elected to the state House in 2018 by flipping a Trump district that no one thought was winnable. I was told that race was impossible. I was told I was too young. I was told I didn’t have the money or the political connections to win.
But we ran an underdog campaign, an aggressive, authentic, unorthodox campaign that brought people together. On election night, we flipped that district with 51 percent of the vote. So I know how to win in tough areas, I know to win tough races, and I plan on taking that playbook statewide in this election.
If you had to distill your core campaign message to just a couple sentences or a few talking points, what would they be?
I started off this campaign by saying I don’t see politics as left versus right, I see it as top versus bottom. And I see the billionaires who are trying to divide us with their social media algorithms, with their cable news networks, with the politicians who are fighting on our screens. And so I’m trying to bridge those divides. I’m trying to bring people together across party, across race, across religion and gender, to take power back for working people.
At the national level, Democrats are generally more supportive of gun control and also moving away from fossil fuels to renewables. In Texas, guns and the oil industry are very important to a lot of Texans, probably the majority of Texans. How do you personally view these divisive issues? And how will you balance what Texas voters want with what the Democratic Party views as the right path forward?
I actually don’t think these issues are that divisive. I know there are a lot of people, both in the advocacy groups and the media, who want them to be divisive, but when I talk to Texans all across the state, there is a broad consensus that we can both protect the Second Amendment and the people’s right to bear arms, and also pursue commonsense gun safety—like universal background checks and red flag laws. So I plan on pursuing that middle ground approach, just like I have in the state legislature.
The same is true on energy. You know, Texas has always been an energy leader. I went to public schools funded by the oil and gas industry. So I know what the industry has done for our state, what it’s done for the country, what it’s done for the world. And I also know that Texas is becoming a leader in renewable energy, in the next generation of energy production. And we want to cherish and grow that as well.
I don’t want Texas to just be a leader of 20th century energy. I want us to be a leader at 21st and 22nd century energy, and so it’s going to take an all of the above approach. I think everyone recognizes that. We’re not going to be able to wean ourselves off of oil and gas, and so we’re going to have to do both. We’re going have to protect that industry while also growing these new renewable sources of energy that will lead us to a cleaner, greener, safer, brighter future.
Another Texas issue is this law about the Ten Commandments in schools. You’re a devout Christian. You talk about your faith all the time. And yet you’ve been a very big opponent of this legislation. Can you talk a bit about that and how you view that as a Christian?
I come from a tradition that cherishes the separation of church and state in our First Amendment, not just because it protects the state, but because it protects the church. I was taught that that was a sacred boundary. And so I spoke up in defense of our First Amendment. I spoke up in the defense of the Establishment Clause and the Free Exercise Clause. Religious freedom means a lot to me, and I know it means a lot to most Americans.
That bill that would use governmental power to force one religious tradition on everyone in our state against their wills. It’s not only unconstitutional, it’s not only un-American, but I also think it’s deeply unchristian because we are called to love our neighbors as ourselves. That includes our Jewish and Muslim and Sikh and Buddhist and atheist neighbors. Forcing our religion down their throats does not show love. So that’s why I’ve spoken out not only against this bill, but against many of the Christian nationalist bills that have come through our state legislature and state legislatures around the country.
You recently fled the state with a lot of your democratic colleagues to protest the redistricting. However, that ultimately did pass. How do you feel about that protest now? And do you think the impact was successful?
You know, we by breaking quorum, shined a national spotlight on this redistricting power grab. The week that we broke quorum, Google searches for the term ‘gerrymandering’ shot to the roof. Suddenly everyone in the country and the national media were finally talking about this issue, and then we sparked momentum for states like California and Maryland and New York to begin the process of redistricting themselves, hopefully to convince Texas Republicans and the president of the United States to walk back from the brink.
But even if they don’t, this will at least create a level playing field, so that there can be free and fair elections going into this upcoming 2026 cycle. I would just say, I think because of our quorum break, you now see a bipartisan majority in this country and in the state who oppose political gerrymandering, and who all support a national ban to end gerrymandering once and for all. And that would be the first bill I would file as a United States senator from Texas.
I think with that protest, a lot of Democratic voters who I talked to, were quite pleased to see a group of Democrats fighting back against Republicans in what they perceived as a more effective way. On the national level, the perception has been that Democrats are incompetent at fighting back against Trump and the Republicans right now. If you are elected to the Senate, what are specific things you would do to push back against this administration and the Republicans who are controlling D.C. right now?
I think there’s a big difference between the national Democratic Party and Texas Democrats. I think the national Democratic Party has forgotten how to fight for the people. They’ve forgotten how to use every tool in their toolbox to fight back for the people of this country. And Texas Democrats have shown continually, but especially this year, what it means to play to the fullest extent of the rules and to aggressively confront those who are trying to hurt our constituents.
And I think that could be a valuable lesson for the national Democratic Party. I’ve said before, I think the Democratic Party should be a little less Washington and a little more Texas. So I’ll take that fighting spirit to our nation’s capital if I’m elected to this position.
Along that same line of questioning, there has been lots of criticism of [Senate Minority Leader] Chuck Schumer and against [House Minority Leader] Hakeem Jeffries as well. Do you think the Democrats in D.C. need new leadership at this moment?
Anybody who’s running for a leadership position, I’m gonna sit down with just like I did in the state legislature. I’m going to ask some hard questions about their vision, their values, their plan for that leadership position. Obviously, I haven’t done that with any of the people that you mentioned, but if they are running for a position that I’m to cast a vote for, then I will certainly be having those conversations.
I would say broadly, we have to make room in our party for new leaders to step up. This is not an either-or choice between senior members and younger people. But it does mean that we have to have both, and we’ve got to create that room for millennials like me and also Gen Z leaders to step up, because I do think that’s where you’re going to see the fighting spirit come from. And I look forward to being part of that change in our party, but more importantly in our government.
My next question was actually about generational tension. You know, it’s been on both sides of the aisle, but we’ve seen it acutely with [former] President [Joe] Biden, with [former] Senator [Dianne] Feinstein, with several Democrats dying in office this year. Some people are calling for age limits or term limits. Can you talk a bit more about the generational divide? Do you think that something should be done to force people out?
We have a mechanism to do that, and that’s our elections that happen every two years in the House and every six years in Senate. If we have an election process where people can make their voices heard, if we remove the barriers to that, including gerrymandering, including big money in our system, then those elections should be the mechanism to hold those leaders accountable, and to bring in new leaders when it’s necessary. So my focus is on how do we strengthen our election process so that the people’s voice is heard in our democratic system.
Tied to this issue about generations and new leadership is also the progressive/moderate divide that always comes up in these election cycles. Do you put yourself on the spectrum as progressive or moderate?
I no longer think that the divide in our party is ideological. I think you’ve seen over the last couple of years that the primary divide is tactical. Do you recognize the urgency of this moment? Do you recognize that we have to use every tool in our toolbox to fight for the people of this country? That, to me, is the primary dividing line, and on that measure, I hope that my record has shown that I am willing to fight when it’s necessary, and I’m willing to use all of those tools to protect our Constitution and protect my constituents.
On a much more somber issue, we’ve unfortunately seen this wave of political violence over the past year, most recently with Charlie Kirk, but of course also [Pennsylvania] Governor [Josh] Shapiro’s home, the Democrats in Minnesota, assassination attempts on Donald Trump. As a politician, does it give you pause and make you step back and consider getting out of politics?
I think this is a time for courage, both from elected officials, from candidates, but also from ordinary citizens. Getting into the public arena always entails risks, but our Constitution, our history demands that we step up in times like this. And so I’m proud to be doing that. I hope many others across this state, across this country will do the same at this critical juncture in our nation’s history.
Right now, Trump and Vice President [JD] Vance and others on the right have been making the argument that violence is more prevalent on the left. How do you think Democrats should be responding to that backlash from Republicans, especially in this moment when there’s so much sympathy for Charlie Kirk?
I think this finger-pointing is what got us into this mess in the first place. And what I’m more interested in is how are the systems encouraging this kind of division, this kind of hatred, this kind of tribalism. And that, I feel like, is a conversation we’re not having. How do these algorithms, how do these cable news networks, how do this politicians who are bought by billionaires fight and encourage fighting between neighbors? My faith is very important to me. And I’ve talked about how I was raised to love my neighbor as myself, something I don’t always do well, but at least I try to do. And I think we need to all try to do that at this moment.
That means resisting the people at the top and their algorithms and their news networks that are tearing us apart, that want us to be divided so we don’t see how much we have in common, so we don’t come together and take power back for our neighbors and for our communities. They continually divide us by race, by party, by gender, by religion, so we don’t notice that they’re picking our pockets, that they are robbing us of our health care, they’re closing our public schools. They are cutting taxes for themselves while they raise taxes on all of us.
That’s the real game that’s being played here, and I think we need folks across the political spectrum, across the country to wake up to that fact, so that we can do something about it in 2026.
On that point about the division and the polarization, I think it’s interesting that you recently had the appearance on Joe Rogan’s podcast, which, of course, Joe Rogan famously endorsed Donald Trump. However, in the past, he also was very favorable to Senator [Bernie] Sanders. Rogan, in that interview, said that you should run for president someday. So he obviously is a fan of yours. How do you think about that? What do you think it is about candidates like you that might appeal to voters like Rogan?
I think it demonstrates a willingness and I think an approach that I have to engage with anyone and everyone in an open conversation. It’s something we haven’t seen in our politics in a long time. We’re all trapped in our bubbles, in our silos, and we need to break out of those if we’re going to save this American experiment and fix this democracy so it actually works again for regular people. And that’s what I was trying to do by going onto Joe Rogan’s podcast. It’s what I’ve done by going to Fox News and the Christian Broadcasting Network.
These are places where you don’t typically see a Democrat or a Democratic-elected official, and you’re going to see a lot more of that from me in this campaign. I’m going to go anywhere and everywhere, talk to anyone and everyone about what needs to change in the state, in this country, so that working people have a shot to fulfill their God-given potential again.
You’ve been very critical of billionaires in politics, and you’ve talked a lot about not taking corporate PAC money. Can you explain a bit more about your position on that? And, relatedly, I understand you accepted significant funds from a PAC associated with Miriam Adelson, a billionaire who backed Trump. How does that contribution square with your broader criticism of billionaires and corporate PAC money?
I’m the only state legislator here in Texas that doesn’t take corporate PAC money. It’s a self-imposed ban that I’ve had since I first ran for office. I’ve literally had to send back checks from Walmart and from Chevron and AT&T, companies that do a lot of work in Texas. I’m always willing to meet with anyone, but I do have a ban on those corporate PAC donations. I’m gonna continue that policy now as a candidate for U.S. Senate.
And yes, I have been very outspoken on the influence of billionaires in our politics. And, you know, there are billionaires that I agree with on certain issues, and I’m not trying to hide from that fact. But I am for and I have introduced legislation to limit their influence on our political system. I’m the only legislator that put forward a bill to increase transparency and ethics requirements. I put forward bill to cap campaign contributions in the state of Texas, where we have no campaign contribution limits.
So I’m going to continue that fight if I’m elected to the United States Senate. I’m gonna be an outspoken voice about how to fix our broken political system, how to clean up government and get the corruption out of our politics. And it’s infecting all of us. We’re all trapped in the system. At least I’m putting forward ideas on how we can change it for the future.
You’re a Christian, it’s something you talk about a lot. You mentioned also Christian nationalism is on the rise. Along with that, there’s a lot of opposition to LGBTQ+ rights and abortion. Texas has passed legislation about both of these issues over the past few years, which you’ve been very critical of. Since you’re coming at this from a Christian perspective yourself, where do you think the disconnect is within the faith?
I think you’ve seen over the last 40, 50 years, a concerted effort by very powerful people in politics to co-opt our Christian faith. And again, our faith is beyond any political party. Our faith is political, geographic, racial, ethnic divide. It is something deeper than all of that.
And so when one party makes this concerted effort to use our faith as a justification for their policies, then that should be concerning to all of us. And that’s what you’ve seen in this country. They’ve said over and over that to be a true Christian, you’ve got to focus on these two issues of abortion rights and gay rights. And neither of those are found in our Scriptures. And so all I’m trying to say is if we’re going to be talking about faith in politics, we at least should be rooting it in the teachings of our faith.
And that’s about feeding the hungry and clothing the naked and welcoming the stranger and visiting the prisoner. These are how we’re taught to act in the world as Christians. It’s what I attempt to do through public service, first as a public school teacher and now as a holder of elected office.
Some of your Republican critics, I think Cornyn actually issued a criticism, of a comment you made a few years ago that “God is nonbinary.” Can you respond to that criticism and explain a bit more about what you were saying with that comment?
This is probably not the first time I’m going to be attacked for my faith in this campaign. But I’m always willing to engage in dialogue about this. I made those provocative comments because some of my colleagues in the legislature were twisting our faith to pick on schoolchildren, students here in the state of Texas. And I felt the need to remind them that we are called as Christians to love God and love our neighbor.
I don’t think, theologically speaking, any of my fellow believers would disagree that God is beyond gender. I recognize how I phrased it, probably raised some eyebrows, but the idea that in Christ, in God, there is neither male nor female, that is not coming from me. That’s coming from the Apostle Paul. And so if John Cornyn has an issue with that, he should take it up, not with me, but with the letter to the Galatians.
That was a comment made in response to legislation targeting the transgender community. Since the 2024 election, a lot of high-profile Democrats, even [California] Governor [Gavin] Newsom, have seemed to backtrack a bit or even come out a little bit against going too far with transgender rights. How are you thinking about that issue right now? And how do you think the party should respond?
We talked about guns and we talked about energy, and I said that I actually don’t think these are as divisive as folks in the media want us to think. When I talk to Texans on this issue, I see broad agreement that we should treat every Texan and particularly every child with dignity and with respect. We should also ensure that every sport is fair and safe. That is broad agreement among Texans, I think among Americans. So I don’t think we want politicians grandstanding on this issue anymore.
We want to trust our sports leagues, our sports officials to be able to make commonsense decisions about what is required to keep a sport safe and fair. And that will include sensible limits on which sports athletes can play in, but it should be done sport by sport, athlete by athlete. We should appreciate the nuance and the shades of gray in this conversation rather than trying to use it to beat each other over the head in a political debate.
Another big issue that’s created some tension within the Democratic Party is the Gaza war and also taking money from AIPAC [American Israel Public Affairs Committee]. What is your view on that conflict and also AIPAC’s influence on politics?
It’s been said before, I screamed at God for the starving children until I realized the starving was God screaming at me. And God is screaming at all of us in Gaza as we speak. And so I have already been talking about this issue on this campaign trail. I’m going to continue to talk about this. Because it requires all of us to come together and take actions to stop the human suffering in Gaza. I believe the nation of Israel has a right to exist and has a right to defend itself just like any nation. But Benjamin Netanyahu doesn’t have the right to wage war against civilians. He doesn’t have the right to use famine or collective punishment as tactics in that war.
And so if I’m elected to the United States Senate, I’m gonna use all of our country’s financial and diplomatic leverage to bring an end to the atrocities in Gaza. I hope that’s not just for the people of Gaza, I hope it’s also for the nation of Israel and the people of Israel, because Benjamin Netanyahu’s disastrous war has made Israelis and Jewish people all over the world less safe as a result. So I’m less interested in the talk about this issue, I’m more interested in the action, and I hope that we’re all ready to come together to take clear action to stop what’s happening in Gaza.
Those were my main questions about the campaign and your views, but before I end, I always like to ask, what is something not particularly well known about yourself that you think would really surprise voters?
That’s a good question. You know, I know folks know that I was a middle school teacher, but I don’t know if people realize how much of the skills that I’ve developed as a middle school teacher in San Antonio inform what I do in politics. I try to boil things down that are complex or complicated into information that’s easily digestible by people who are busy and have a lot of other interests. That’s what I did as a teacher.
I also try to bring people together from different backgrounds to do big things. That’s exactly what I did when I was a teacher. And I hope that folks can recognize that in this campaign, and join us in this effort to be able to reach more people and change how we do politics in this country.
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