Free Republic

Texas Senate hopeful James Talarico took heat Thursday for suggesting teen killer Karmelo Anthony’s murder conviction was unjust because there were no black jurors at his trial. Talarico — who is seeking to become the first Democrat elected to the Senate from Texas since 1988 — was asked about the high-profile case during an appearance on “The Breakfast Club” radio show earlier this month and seemingly argued that Anthony’s conviction was proof the justice system “is not working for black Texans.” “Well, I’ve done a lot of work in the state house on justice reform, and right now we’ve got...

Texas Senate hopeful James Talarico once delivered a sermon titled “God is not a Christian” as part of a fiery rebuke of conservatives whom the Democrat accused of trying to transform America into a theocracy. Talarico, a Presbyterian seminarian and Texas state rep., admitted in his 2023 sermon that he is sometimes reluctant to share his faith, while warning, “There is a cancer on our religion.” “God is so much bigger than our human categories. God is not a Presbyterian. God is not a Christian. God is not a noun at all. God is a verb. God is not a...

The Democrat Party’s youth movement appears to be in complete shambles as the DemocracySummit 2026, what was slated to be a “a powerful day of organizing, learning, and civic renewal,” had absolutely abysmal attendance in Austin, Texas. Despite boasting a star-studded slate of progressive speakers like former Vice President Kamala Harris, Sens. Mark Kelly and Chris Murphy, Texas Senate candidate James Talarico, and Democratic National Committee Chair Ken Martin, the venue appeared to be completely empty. Footage uploaded to social media by Turning Point executive Tyler Bowyer showed a near-empty room during remarks delivered by Democrat Mark Kelly, who many...

Texas State Rep. James Talarico (D) has hired a top staffer from the office of the Senate Republican he hopes to replace, a move political commentators viewed as strategically savvy to help him win over independent and crossover GOP voters. The incumbent Republican, Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX), lost a viciously contentious primary to Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, who scored President Donald Trump's endorsement but is widely viewed as a weaker candidate in the general election due to a series of scandals, lawsuits, a messy and contentious divorce, and other controversies. Talarico, the Democratic nominee, has had a slight lead...

A longtime aide to Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) has joined Democrat James Talarico’s Senate campaign as he tries to defeat Republican nominee Ken Paxton in Texas. Jacob Smith, who spent five years working for Cornyn as a deputy legislative director and policy adviser, is now serving as Talarico’s deputy policy director, according to NOTUS. “I’ve worked for Republicans like Senator Cornyn my entire career, but this year I’m proud to be joining James Talarico’s campaign,” Smith said in a statement released by the campaign. Smith said Talarico focuses on issues affecting working Texans rather than partisan politics and argued the...

Merchandise promoting the left-wing terror group Antifa were given out for free at Democrat Senate candidate James Talarico’s latest rally, according to Current Revolt. Some of the stickers and buttons read “Anti Fascist Social Club” and “Auntifa,” while others printed the word “Antifa” onto a graphic. Additional merchandise portrayed President Donald Trump as Marie Antoniette, the Queen Consort of France who was executed during the French Revolution, while another ominously read “He’s on the List.” A final sticker read “It’s Okay to Punch Nazis,” sparking reminders to the language used on Charlie Kirk assassin Tyler Robinson’s ammunition that conservatives have...

James Talarico is too radical for Texas.

Democrat U.S. Senate candidate James Talarico now says he does not support gender mutilation surgery for minors—but when Texas lawmakers voted to prohibit the procedures, Talarico voted no.Talarico voted against Senate Bill 14, legislation prohibiting physicians from performing gender-mutilation surgeries on minors as well as prescribing sterilizing puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones for the purpose of changing a child’s biological sex. The measure was ultimately approved by the Legislature and signed into law by Gov. Greg Abbott.Talarico’s legislative record also includes another vote involving insurance coverage for gender-mutilation procedures and the consequences of those treatments. In 2025, Talarico voted against...

James Talarico is running for Senate as a mainstream Texas Democrat. But a look at his past tells a very different story. After previously using his website to promote some strikingly radical positions and rhetoric, key language has since been scrubbed from the site. So what exactly did Talarico remove — and why? This week on Come & Take It, watch as Sara takes a closer look at James Talarico’s political past, the statements and positions that have disappeared, and then you decide whether he’s trying to rewrite his record as he seeks a bigger political future in Texas. Is...

Leftist outlet MS NOW aired a segment featuring three Texas women who identified themselves as Republicans and vowed to cross over for James Talarico — but records show at least some of them have voted in Democratic primaries and donated to liberal candidates and causes. Talarico, who has sparked backlash for his fringe views on Christianity, affection for transgender children, and disdain for the American flag, is banking on Republican crossover support to become the first Texas Democrat elected statewide in decades. “Republicans for Talarico is as real as the six genders that Talarico claims exist, but has yet to...

Planned Parenthood just announced a $47 million budget for their midterm election blitz. The ACLU is spending $25 million specifically to push pro-abortion propaganda. And, Reproductive Freedom for All (formerly NARAL) is spending $23.5 million. That’s nearly $100 million, all aimed at one goal: flipping the U.S. Senate for Chuck Schumer, his pals at the DSA (Democratic Socialists of America), and the Abortion Lobby this November. Last week we got proof their plan may be working. A new poll out of Texas shows Democrat James Talarico jumping to a 5-point lead over Attorney General Ken Paxton in the race for...

The Democrat Senate nominee said the experience was part of the religious tradition that eventually led him into politics. Democrat U.S. Senate nominee James Talarico says the church he grew up in once housed illegal aliens who were facing deportation by federal immigration authorities. The comments, first reported by Fox News, came during a 2023 appearance by Talarico on Texas Impact’s Weekly Witness podcast. Asked how his faith influenced his political career, Talarico pointed to a history of progressive activism at his church. “Our church was really active in LGBTQ rights in the ’90s. We caught some attention by letting...

AUSTIN, TX — Senate candidate James Talarico announced on Monday morning that he would be following in the inspiring footsteps of Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and electing to have his eggs frozen. Talarico posted a video injecting himself with recombinant hormones to stimulate the release of eggs, which would be collected by his obstetrician for freezing until "the time is right" for having children. "In light of this administration denying access to reproductive health, I want to keep my options open," explained Talarico. "This is a personal decision that every egg-producing person must make for themselves. Right now, I'm completely focused...

Three years can be a long time in Texas politics. Republicans who once stood on opposite sides of one of the party’s most bitter battles are now sharing stages, exchanging embraces, and urging voters to unite behind Attorney General Ken Paxton in November. The display has unfolded during Paxton’s campaign tour this week, where several lawmakers with a history of conflict with the Republican senate nominee have appeared alongside him and encouraged voters to put past disagreements aside. The most prominent example came in Allen, where State Rep. Jeff Leach introduced Paxton before a packed crowd and embraced him as...

James Talarico, a Presbyterian seminarian running for U.S. Senate from Texas, headlined an LGBTQ festival that featured "the absolute cutest & youngest of our drag performers," an 11-year-old boy "drag queen" who goes by the stage name Kween Kee Kee. Taylor PRIDE, a group in the town of Taylor, Texas, held the June 26, 2021, event to raise money to help "rural LGBTQ communities." The Pride Month festivities included a series of pro-LGBTQ speakers, live music, a "drag story hour," and adult drag performers such as Brianna Brinxx and the provocatively named Sedonya Face. Talarico and Kween Kee Kee, a...

After months of ignoring questions and concerns regarding James Talarico’s romantic relationship with a former member of his Texas House staffer Brianna Menard, his campaign has finally confirmed that the pair’s relationship began while Menard worked in Talarico’s office. The Talarico campaign had previously suggested that Menard, who had worked in Talarico’s office from March 2020 until January 2023, did not begin a relationship with Talarico until leaving his office to work for Texas State Representative Salman Bhojani as his office’s chief of staff. According to a statement from Bhojani, Talarico himself reached out to secure Menard a position in...

Back at the start of June, Karmelo Anthony was found guilty of stabbing Austin Metcalf in the chest at a track meet. Both Anthony and Metcalf were 17 at the time. The Left was very angry about the case and the verdict; many of them believe Anthony acted in "self-defense," and that he shouldn't have faced charges at all, let alone prison time. Now that case is coming up in the Texas U.S. Senate race, with Democrat James Talarico falling squarely on the side of the leftists who think Anthony did nothing wrong. Watch as Talarico nods sycophantically as a...

Democrat James Talarico leads Republican Ken Paxton by five percentage points in a survey of likely Texas voters released Tuesday, marking a shift from earlier polling that showed the attorney general narrowly ahead or tied in the U.S. Senate contest. Discover more Legislative Branch Government Voter registration services Texas Public Opinion Research found Talarico leading Paxton, 45 percent to 40 percent, “marking the Austin state representative’s largest lead in any public poll taken during the general election period,” the Texas Tribune reported. The group surveyed 1,048 likely voters from July 15 through July 17. The poll has a margin of...

Woke warrior James Talarico sounds like your classic mama’s boy. The 37-year-old Texas Senate candidate reportedly shares an individual checking account with his mother, a frequent contributor to his campaigns. And records obtained by The Federalist show the Democratic Party’s great white hope for blueing up deep red Texas used his mother’s Austin address to register to vote in order to launch a previous campaign — an apparent violation of Texas election law. It’s an interesting twist in the key Senate race, given that Talarico has accused his opponent, Republican state Attorney General Ken Paxton, of illegally voting in elections...

James Talarico, the radical Democrat nominee for the U.S. Senate race in Texas, once credited Islamic teachings and authors as an inspiration for his Christian faith. 🚨UNEARTHEDJames Talarico — who said he "hates Christianity" — praised Islam for inspiring his religious beliefs:"I’ve learned as much about my faith from Salman’s tradition, from the Islamic mystics, from poets like Rumi, as much as I have from Christian authors..." pic.twitter.com/2UeksY9Hko— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) July 27, 2026“I’ve learned as much about my faith from Salman’s tradition, from the Islamic mystics, from poets like Rumi, as much as I have from Christian authors,” Talarico...