Texas State Rep. James Talarico is entering the state’s Senate Democratic primary by demanding his party rip up their 2024 playbook if Democrats hope to win the Lone Star State next year.
In an interview, Talarico refused to say whether he’d support Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, called on Democrats to address voter concerns over Gaza and said his party needs “new blood” in Washington.
Talarico, 36, has served in the Texas legislature since 2018, gaining a reputation as a progressive firebrand who goes viral by invoking Bible verses.
Talarico joins a crowded Democratic primary featuring former Rep. Colin Allred (D-Texas) and former NASA astronaut Terry Virts. Talarico said Democrats need to move past Allred’s 2024 strategy to flip the seat blue.
“To break through in Texas, we can’t run a traditional campaign,” Talarico told us, citing how he walked the length of his state house district during one of his campaigns. Talarico previously won a tight election but has since moved to a safer blue seat in the Austin suburbs.
Here are some highlights from our interview:
Schumer. Talarico — who has criticized coastal Democrats for a lack of fight — deflected when asked if he thought Schumer was the right person to lead Senate Democrats.
“I am not really up to date on the D.C. drama and conflicts,” Talarico said. “If I’m fortunate enough to get elected, I’m going to sit down with whoever is running for, hopefully majority leader, and hear about what they want to do with this role.”
Running against reconciliation. The Texas Democrat is gearing up to run against the health care cuts in the GOP reconciliation package, which he labeled “The Big Ugly Bill.”
“I don’t know any Texan — Republican or Democrat, conservative or progressive — who supports that deeply immoral legislation, and I think the lawmakers who did vote for it need to pay a price at the ballot box,” Talarico said.
The war in Gaza. We asked Talarico how he would’ve voted on the recent Senate disapproval resolutions seeking to block arm sales to Israel. Talarico wouldn’t comment and said he wasn’t familiar with the legislation. But Talarico added this about Israel’s war in Gaza:
“One of the primary reasons that the Democratic Party lost young voters in particular last election was our party’s failure to recognize the moral disaster in Gaza, and I hope that we have leaders who recognize that mistake.”
Allred speaks: In a statement, Allred said, “I’ve never taken anything for granted in life or politics, and this campaign is no exception.” The 2024 Senate candidate recently released polling showing him beating potential GOP candidate Ken Paxton in a general election matchup.
