James Talarico has emerged as the new golden boy for the Democrats, who are placing their hopes on him to turn the tide for them during the 2026 mid-term elections.
By Catholics for Catholics
He is one of the fastest-rising stars in the Democratic party, mixing a youthful, old-school style of kindly approach to people, while fusing elements of Christianity with a deep, progressive bent.
With his boyish charm, a big war chest and using his fluid form of Christianity, culled from his days as a Presbyterian Seminarian, Texas state Rep. James Talarico bested Rep. Jasmine Crockett, D-Texas, for the Democratic Senate nomination. And now, many political observers say he is poised to take on any GOP challenger and score a big win for the Democrats in Texas, long considered a bastion for Republicans.
Talarico crushed Crockett in the Democratic primary by a snug margin despite her already having a national following. Now, Democrats believe that Talarico has great possibilities to flip a Texas Senate seat blue for the first time in 33 years.
Talarico will square away against either longtime incumbent Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, or state Attorney General Ken Paxton, depending on which candidate emerges victorious from the GOP’s May 26 primary runoff election.
Political observers believe Cornyn and Paxton will be entrenched in a bloody war, a political mud fest that will leave the emerging victor too weakened to put on a real battle against Talarico. On the other hand, the Democrat will be rested, primed and ready, riding on a current wave of popularity—he is seen as one of the golden boys of the Democratic party, capable of vanquishing any Republican in his path.
If Talarico wins the Senate seat, it would be devastating for Republicans in the much-vaunted mid-term elections. President Donald Trump has said that the mid-terms are a do or die scenario for the GOP: they must win the elections, no ifs, ands, or buts.
But now that Talarico is in the national spotlight, his views and his history of making controversial statements on matters of religion, race, gender, border security and beyond, are coming under scrutiny, according to Fox News.
James Talarico, who sold his Christian creds to Texas voters to win normie, traditional voters' trust, is so ashamed of the actual Bible that he describes God as non-binary.
— Andrew Kolvet (@AndrewKolvet) March 4, 2026
He's exactly the type of beta male white boy the Democrats like to trot out there to suggest the whole… pic.twitter.com/aHRng03GtE
In a video going viral on social media, Talarico says in a sermon, “Did they teach you in Sunday school that Jesus Christ himself was a radical feminist?”
Now that Talarico is in the national eye for the first time, many commentators are rematerializing some of his past comments. Among them is a 2021 video of Talarico on the Texas House floor in Austin opposing a bill to ban men from women’s sports and claiming that “God is non-binary.”
“God is both masculine and feminine and everything in between. God is non-binary,” said Talarico, adding, “Trans children are God’s children, made in God’s own image.”
According to Fox News, Talarico is a self-identified Presbyterian seminarian and generates many of his political stances in Christian and biblical language. Nevertheless, while talking on a January episode of “The Ezra Klein Show,” Talarico appeared to liken Christianity with other religions, including Hinduism and Islam.
“I believe that Jesus Christ reveals that reality to us, but I also believe that other traditions reveal that reality in their own ways, with their own simple structures. And I’ve learned more about my tradition by learning more about Buddhism, Hinduism and Islam and Judaism. And so, I see these beautiful faith traditions as circling the same truth about the universe, about the cosmos,” he said.
Talarico has used the Bible to defend abortion and, on his campaign website, advocates codifying Roe v. Wade into national law. On an episode of “The Joe Rogan Experience” last year, Talarico said the story of Jesus Christ’s incarnation justifies his support for abortion.
Texas State Representative and pastor James Talarico told Joe Rogan there’s no biblical basis for Christians to be anti-abortion.
— Kristan Hawkins (@KristanHawkins) July 19, 2025
Jeremiah 1:5: "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you,
And before you were born I consecrated you;
I have appointed you as a prophet to the… pic.twitter.com/9HKqwdbIt4
“I say all this in the context of abortion, because before God comes over Mary, and we have the incarnation, God asks for Mary’s consent… so to me, that is an affirmation in one of our most central stories that creation has to be done with consent. You cannot force someone to create… so that’s how I come down on that side of the issue.”
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