Nick Morris said about James Talarico, in Elections Daily on October 30, 2026.
Reviewing the Texas Senate race in a final battleground overview.
JT
James Talarico
Things People Say About James Talarico
James Talarico has represented District 50 in the Texas House since 2018. A former middle school teacher and seminarian, he was the Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate in Texas in 2026 after defeating U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett in the primary.
What People Say About Them
Ross Douthat said about James Talarico, in The Free Press on October 29, 2026.
Assessing how Democratic Senate candidates are presenting themselves as moderates.
Ken Paxton said about James Talarico, in The Sean Hannity Show on September 30, 2026.
Ken Paxton, the Republican Senate nominee, speaking to Sean Hannity about his Democratic opponent James Talarico, five weeks before the November 2026 election. Hannity had just raised Talarico's recent shift on gender and sports.
The Sean Hannity Show
Around 05:09 into the episode
Ken Paxton
…to make them mean the opposite of what was actually in Scripture. And if you don't know your Bible, you could be easily fooled into believing that some of what he's saying is true and that he's a legitimate Christian, when in reality... His comments are heretical to the to the Christian faith.
Sean Hannity
…must not be polling well because only recently did he say, well, my math was off or whatever excuse he came up with. So it seems like he's gone to the AOC school of, oh, that was crazy woke 1.0 and is trying to hide his real positions. I hope you're making the people of Texas aware of all of this.
Ken Paxton
No, we're absolutely doing that, and that's just one example of many, many. He's completely changed positions on boys and girls sports, the state income tax that he voted for, every position, the oil and gas industry, which he tried to abolish in the state of Texas, the meat thing. There's nothing this guy hasn't changed on to try to fool the Texas voters into believing he's a conservative Republican as opposed to a left-wing Democrat.
Sean Hannity
Well, look, I think the people of Texas are smart. God bless Texas. I watched this unfold with Ted Cruz back in the day when Beto Bozo O'Rourke, and it was far less known about him when Ted ran against him. And the polls were very, very tight in the beginning of that race. Ted ended up winning by a…
Speaker 3
No, there's no doubt.
Speaker 6
Look.
Speaker names come from our own diarization. The position is estimated from where the line sits in the episode.
Where to Find Them
James Talarico writes Team Talarico , writes Prof G Media , writes The Briefing with Jen Psaki , writes Katie Couric , writes Our Moral Moment w/ Bishop William Barber & Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove , writes The.Ink and writes The Jim Acosta Show . They have also been a guest on The Jamie Kern Lima Show (3 times) , Texas Matters and The Ezra Klein Show .
Recently: “Big Money corrupted Washington and broke our democracy.” on Team Talarico (June 2026); “Humbled” on Team Talarico (June 2026); “Together” on Team Talarico (June 2026); “James Talarico and the race for U.S. Senate” on Texas Matters (May 2026); “Meet our opponent: Ken Paxton” on Team Talarico (May 2026); “James Talarico Reveals All (Pt 3): Fighting to Flip Tables + Take Texas, Christianity & the Country Back” on The Jamie Kern Lima Show (May 2026).
What They Said
James Talarico in a May 2026 interview on The Jamie Kern Lima Show, asked whether he is a centrist, a progressive or a socialist.
The Jamie Kern Lima Show
Around 47:45 into the episode
James Talarico
And it is strong. I've had so many people trying to figure out where to, how to label me.
Jamie Kern Lima
Yes.
James Talarico
And we do that to each other. And we do it as a shorthand. And I think it's part of what flattens us because the honest truth is, and I'm sure your family members would agree, we have all these things inside of us, right? There are some issues where I'm a little more conservative, some issues where I'm a little moderate, some issues where I'm a little more progressive. And I always try to do what I think is best, even if it's bucking my own party to do it. And I've done that a bunch of times in the Texas legislature. And so, you know, I think about in our faith tradition, the tree that Adam and Eve ate from was the tree of knowledge of good and evil. And it's that dualistic thinking. It's the trying to make things black or white, this or that, that gets us in so much trouble in our politics. And it's what I'm trying to avoid as much as I can in…
Jamie Kern Lima
Holding LBJ's Senate seat makes me think about how right now, anybody who Googles you, they will see comparisons all over online with people comparing you to JFK, people talking about how impactful some of your talks are and how moving they are. When you see, and there's influencers doing…
James Talarico
I think it just reveals a hunger for someone under the age of 80 to run for office. You know, I love our senior lawmakers and legislators, but I do think people, especially in the Democratic Party, are hungry for a new generation to step up. And that's what we saw in the Kennedys. That's what we…
Jamie Kern Lima
Well, we're going to dive into all the hot topics. There's so much coming up, especially on some of your most widely debated issues. But one thing I love to do on this show is really dive into sort of the story behind the story and who the person really truly is. And I really want to get to know…
Speaker names come from our own diarization. The position is estimated from where the line sits in the episode.
James Talarico in a May 2026 interview on The Jamie Kern Lima Show, recalling his diagnosis with diabetes during his first campaign in 2018 and the insulin copay cap he later helped pass in the Texas House.
The Jamie Kern Lima Show
Around 42:39 into the episode
James Talarico
…foot. I wasn't worried about my ability to do the walk. I was 28 years old, perfectly healthy. I hike Big Bend every year. And so I wasn't worried about my ability to pull it off. Halfway through the walk, I started to feel fatigued and a little nauseous. I threw up a couple times along the walk.
Jamie Kern Lima
Oh, wow.
James Talarico
…now needed to live every day. And that 30-day supply of insulin cost me $684. And I didn't have that kind of money. I put it on a credit card. And I learned that Texans like me with diabetes, particularly type 1 diabetes, are rationing or skipping doses because they can't afford their insulin, the medicine that they need. And so when I won that seat, I brought Democrats and Republicans together. I took on Big Pharma and their lobbyists, and we passed a bill that caps insulin copays in the state of Texas at $25 per prescription. So from $684 to $25. That is what's possible when you bring people together to take on the special interests that have corrupted our government at our expense. And that was just a personal example, but we're trying to do that across issue areas. Um, for Texans who desperately need a government that's going to work for them,
Jamie Kern Lima
the number of bills you've passed by bringing Democrats and Republicans together is why people call you workhorse, not show horse. And like, it's just really, um, I wish every person in office, no matter their party, would be able to do that. Well, our country needs it.
James Talarico
And there's no way in the Texas legislature for me to pass anything without Republican support. And that's a, it's, it's a, it's a blessing in disguise because it forces you to get outside of your comfort zone, to work with folks who you may not always agree with, um, and hopefully come to to some…
Jamie Kern Lima
You know, I'm the same. I think a lot of people resonate with what you just said. I mean, my family, I have five families. I'm adopted. It's the whole story. Yeah. They're split. I mean, I have family members that are die-hard Trump supporters doesn't matter what happens. I have family members that…
Speaker names come from our own diarization. The position is estimated from where the line sits in the episode.
James Talarico in a May 2026 interview on The Jamie Kern Lima Show, explaining why he works with Republicans in the Texas legislature and why he wants more competitive elections in Texas.
The Jamie Kern Lima Show
Around 43:56 into the episode
James Talarico
…is what's possible when you bring people together to take on the special interests that have corrupted our government at our expense. And that was just a personal example, but we're trying to do that across issue areas. Um, for Texans who desperately need a government that's going to work for them,
Jamie Kern Lima
the number of bills you've passed by bringing Democrats and Republicans together is why people call you workhorse, not show horse. And like, it's just really, um, I wish every person in office, no matter their party, would be able to do that. Well, our country needs it.
James Talarico
…that is a blessing because it helps me to see my political opponents as human beings first, it allows me to connect with them and then allows us to find common ground and actually make some progress. And I feel like that's what our politics needs at every level in both political parties. And it's why competitive elections, why breaking one-party rule in Texas, Christianity so important because one-party rule always leads to extremism and corruption, whether it's the Republican Party in Texas or the Democratic Party elsewhere. You need that competition so it forces lawmakers in both parties to work together, to talk to one another, to compromise. We don't have that in Texas right now because we've had one party rule for 30 years. So you see a lot of extremism, you see a lot of corruption in our state. And I think it's why people are hungry for a change.
Jamie Kern Lima
You know, I'm the same. I think a lot of people resonate with what you just said. I mean, my family, I have five families. I'm adopted. It's the whole story. Yeah. They're split. I mean, I have family members that are die-hard Trump supporters doesn't matter what happens. I have family members that…
James Talarico
Yeah. Well, one, I just detest this need that we have in our politics to put us all in containers.
Jamie Kern Lima
Yes.
Speaker names come from our own diarization. The position is estimated from where the line sits in the episode.
James Talarico in a May 2026 interview on The Jamie Kern Lima Show, asked to explain what he means by Christian nationalism and how it affects people.
The Jamie Kern Lima Show
Around 40:06 into the episode
James Talarico
them? So I would define Christian nationalism as the worship of power in the name of Christ.
Jamie Kern Lima
…or the link in the show notes below. Imagine what you'd do if you fully believed in you. It's time to find out with worthy. And now more of this incredible conversation together. Can you talk about Christian nationalism and what people should know, what it is, how does it affect them?
James Talarico
…within the church, within Christian communities, about what is our relationship with power. Because in my mind, as a Christian, power that is not shared is also domination. And in a democracy, it's all about sharing power. We acknowledge that power is real and that it has consequences. And we commit to sharing that together as a nation, as communities. And I think that's where we have to strive. Theocracy, in my mind, is the most dangerous form of government because the only thing worse than a tyrant is a tyrant who thinks they're on a mission from God. And that's why our faith in Jesus should lead us away from theocracy, away from tyranny, away from Christian nationalism, and toward a multiracial, multicultural democracy where we can all freely love God and fully love our neighbors.
Jamie Kern Lima
A lot of people don't know this, but during your first campaign, you almost fell into a diabetic coma. You almost died. What was it like to find out you were diabetic in your 20s?
James Talarico
So in my very first campaign back in 2018, I was running for the state house and I decided to walk the entire length of my district from Round Rock, Texas to Take Texas,. And well, I wanted to, you know, so much of politics now is filtered, sometimes literally, but also just there are so many…
Jamie Kern Lima
Oh, wow.
Speaker names come from our own diarization. The position is estimated from where the line sits in the episode.