_WHAT’S HAPPENING_
James Talarico, the Democratic nominee for Texas' US Senate seat, has come under scrutiny for his dodgy past.
The former schoolteacher and Presbyterian seminary student has drawn attacks from conservatives who question his interpretations of Christianity, his votes on transgender legislation, and his dodgy social media activity.
His Republican opponent Ken Paxton, who won Tuesday's GOP runoff with President Trump's endorsement, has already made Talarico's record a central theme of his campaign. But despite the controversy, Talarico raised enormous money in the hours after Paxton's victory and represents the latest threat to upend Republican Senate dominance in the Lone Star State.
_THE FACTS_
Talarico raised $600,000 in the two hours following Paxton's primary victory and has brought in over $6 million since launching his campaign.
He was previously caught following numerous prostitutes, adult film actresses, and OnlyFans models on Instagram, including one described as a "bisexual Latina cyberslut."
Talarico said during a 2023 podcast appearance that the thing he loves most other than family or friends is "trans children."
He voted against Texas legislation protecting minors from transgender surgeries and cross-sex hormone procedures and claimed during a committee hearing that "there are six" biological sexes.
Talarico stated on a podcast that "atheists" are "more Christ-like than some of the Christians I serve with in the Texas legislature."
The church Talarico attends, St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church in Austin, stocks its children's library with books containing explicit descriptions of anal rape, incest, oral sex, and transgender ideology.
Talarico has said that "God is nonbinary" and that Jesus was a "radical feminist."
President Trump called Talarico "the worst TEXAS candidate I have ever seen" and pledged to hold "nice, big, beautiful rallies for Ken."
_OUR TAKE_
James Talarico, who describes himself as a “devout Christian,” certainly has a unique perspective on the faith that will likely not resonate with many Texans. But do not count him out.
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is hardly a clean candidate himself. He was indicted in 2015 on felony securities fraud charges and impeached by Republican state legislators in 2023, though the Texas Senate ultimately acquitted him. That history appears to be weighing on the general election — nearly a third of voters who backed Texas’ incumbent Senator John Cornyn (R) in the runoff say they'll support Talarico in November.
More than half of those crossover voters point specifically to Paxton's criminal charges and corruption concerns as their reason.
