Talarico says past comments missed the mark as Paxton attack heats up

James Talarico acknowledged that some of his past comments in debates over transgender policy “missed the mark,” even as he accused Ken Paxton of “intentionally clipping my cringey comments to distract from his career of corruption.” The exchange immediately sharpened the fight for a U.S. Senate seat in Texas, where Paxton, the state attorney general and Donald Trump’s endorsed candidate, emerged from the Republican runoff on May 26 and will now face Talarico in November.

The matchup is already taking shape as a national test of whether culture-war attacks can define a Democrat before he can define himself. Republicans and allied groups have begun circulating old Talarico clips, including his 2021 remark that “God is nonbinary” and other comments about pronouns and transgender Texans, aiming to paint the 36-year-old state representative as too far left for Texas. Talarico’s response was not to disown the broader debate, but to argue that Republicans are weaponizing selective video to change the subject from Paxton’s record.

That record gives Democrats a ready-made counterattack. The Texas House of Representatives impeached Paxton in 2023 on allegations including bribery, abuse of office and obstruction, then the Texas Senate acquitted him. Talarico’s allies argue that history makes Paxton a vulnerable nominee in a state where no Democrat has won a statewide race in more than 30 years.

Talarico secured the Democratic nomination on March 3, defeating U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett 53% to 46% with 83% of the expected vote in. The contest was bitter, reflecting Democrats’ larger uncertainty over who could break Texas Republicans’ grip on statewide offices. Talarico, a former public school teacher and trained pastor, has tried to sell himself as a candidate who can speak to Democrats, Republicans and independents, leaning on his Christian faith and populist message rather than partisan identity alone.

For Texas Republicans, that pitch is part of the problem. They have moved quickly to cast Talarico’s past comments on gender, religion, race and related issues as evidence that he is out of step with the state’s electorate. For Talarico, conceding that some remarks “missed the mark” may help him show flexibility. It may also keep the controversy alive long enough for Paxton to keep using it.