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Posted on 06/05/2026 9:41:09 AM PDT by Red Badger
After Attorney General Ken Paxton (R) defeated Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) in the Republican primary for U.S. Senate last month, it wasn’t surprising that Republicans launched a barrage of attacks against Democratic nominee James Talarico.
What was surprising, though, and troubling, is that they attacked not Talarico’s record or past rhetoric, but his masculinity.
Paxton got things rolling on election night, calling him “Tofu Talarico,” “James Tala-freako,” and “low-T Talarico.” Trump aide Stephen Miller piled on, suggesting that Talarico was transgender.
Others insinuated that he was secretly gay and that his girlfriend was fictional. (This is a bold strategy, because if politicians start getting disqualified for having imaginary girlfriends, a couple of Republican senators might be in trouble.)
Next, Fox News co-host Jesse Watters weighed in with questions he wanted local reporters to ask Talarico. Among them: Do you own a gun? Are you a Dallas Cowboys fan? Do you know the Spurs are playing tonight? Do you own a truck? Do you believe in premarital sex? Do you wear women’s underwear?
There is no evidence that Talarico is gay, transgender or vegan, but why are the Republicans taking things in this direction?
The obvious explanation is that Paxton’s nomination has created certain challenges for Republicans. When your nominee is so scandal-plagued that the Republican-dominated Texas House of Representatives voted to impeach him, the campaign becomes less about making voters respect him and more about casting savage and unfounded aspersions on the opponent.
The strategy is simple: If you can’t make your candidate look better, ugly up the other guy. And how do you dirty up a squeaky clean seminarian who appears to be something of a Boy Scout?
American politics increasingly operates on the principle that voters can forgive almost anything except being culturally unacceptable. Corruption? Maybe. Ethical lapses? Possibly. Being the kind of guy who orders tofu? Now you’ve gone too far.
This is especially potent when you consider that your average Texas voter is probably dying for an excuse to justify voting for Paxton.
Ironically, some of the very qualities that make Talarico a ripe target today — the way he talks about his faith, his youthful and wholesome vibe, his advocacy of servant leadership — were once traits that many conservatives would have regarded as virtues.
Then again, masculinity once meant things like humility, fidelity, responsibility, sacrifice, and service. Somewhere along the line, we seem to have replaced those attributes with a model more suited to professional wrestling.
Today’s masculine ideal involves dominating opponents, never apologizing, constantly boasting, and treating every disagreement as if it were a cage match (possibly taking place at the White House for America’s 250th birthday).
Miller, President Trump’s adviser, recently summarized this worldview by explaining that the “iron laws” of the world are governed by strength, force, and power.
This is certainly one theory. Another theory is that what Miller has described is the law of the jungle, and that man should rise above his natural, carnal state — that civilization was built largely by men doing unglamorous things such as raising children and loving their mothers, showing up for work on time and resisting their primal urges as best they could.
To his credit, Talarico has responded by championing this more civilized — more Christian — worldview. He tells a story about how his dad would mow the family’s lawn and then quietly mow their elderly neighbor’s lawn too, without seeking attention or praise.
“Nowadays our culture tells young men that greatness is tearing other people down, trolling and owning and dominating, but my dad showed me what real greatness looks like,” he said.
Talarico argues that real manliness comes from service rather than domination, and predicts this campaign will become a referendum on selfishness versus service.
Sadly, he might want to be careful what he wishes for.
Sure, we admire the old fashioned masculine virtues like sacrifice and heroism in theory. But in practice, we increasingly find ourselves attracted to politicians who err towards selfishness.
This isn’t a uniquely Republican phenomenon. Decades ago, I was baffled that voters twice chose Bill Clinton over heroic and decent men like George H.W. Bush and Bob Dole. Every generation discovers, to its horror, that voters are not necessarily looking for a saint. Sometimes, they’re looking for a fighter. Sometimes, they’re looking for lower gas prices or a higher stock market.
Sometimes they’re looking for a candidate who owns a truck and eats barbecue.
In Talarico’s case, the sad thing isn’t merely that Republicans have decided to question whether these cultural signifiers say he’s a real man. The sad thing is that it just might work.
After all, we are a nation that elected Trump twice, and where what passes for political debate can now include the phrase “Tofu Talarico.” That should probably concern all of us, regardless of our testosterone levels.
Matt K. Lewis is a columnist, podcaster and author of the books “Too Dumb to Fail” and “Filthy Rich Politicians.”
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LOL. The Hill says “it might work” as if its offended that it might work. I really hope that it does work. I hope its the main line of attack and that it completely destroys Talarico and that we get a million think pieces in the Hill and other Woke publications about how horrible it is.
☝️ why Trump won in 2024.
IOW, Unitarian...................
What “masculinity”?
I will respond the way an older Italian fried from New Jersey puts it. “he may not be gay but he’s held one before”
I’m honestly not pleased with all the personal attacks right out of the gate. Use your surrogates to say the mean things. Paxton should stay on message.
Trump was very clever with his ad that Democrats are the party of “They/Them”. That works and it’s hard to refute. Talarico can’t start running against Trans after so publicly embracing it but he probably knows a full-throated defense will backfire on him too.
Instead of questioning him on if he’s gay (he likely is) or whether he has a girlfriend (likely a beard), ask him why his church library endorses gay porn, as well as abortion. There’s so much low-hanging fruit (pun alert) with Talarico, it’s wiser to take the high road and keep the rough stuff for later in the campaign.
Does Talarico even identify as masculine?
Don't forget "Six-Gendered Jimmy."
He believes God is non-binary.
And believes men should be able to compete in women's sports.
I’m not sure he even identifies as human..................
This clown wants me to believe that he has a *girl* friend in Canada. I was born at night but he’s foolish to assume that it was *last* night!
Yes...atheists who enjoy getting together on the odd Sunday morning.
Who is Matt Lewis?
Yes,it might not be wise for Paxton to get into the masculinity thing. There are plenty of people who are willing to take up that task.
Is everybody at The Hill a part of the rainbow freak-show?
Talarico looks like a male in the process of transitioning to a female. Total wimp.
He reminds me of Pajama Boy from the Obamacare commercials.
Maybe he should step out of the closet? He and petee bootyplug could be pals.
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