Texas state Rep. James Talarico on Tuesday announced his bid for the Democrat nomination for the 2026 U.S. Senate election in the Lone Star State.
Talarico has gone from a once relatively unknown Texas state representative to a bona fide media darling for Democrats since appearing on Joe Rogan’s podcast and becoming a spokesman for Texas Democrats protesting the state’s redistricting efforts from Illinois, to which they fled.
Those media appearances even earned him the gratitude of former President Barack Obama.
In the Democrat primary, Talarico will be facing off against former Congressman Colin Allred who challenged Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, in the 2024 Senate general election. Allred was quick to be portrayed as the Democrat establishment’s favored candidate for 2026 by Talarico in an interview with Politico.
“We’re going up against the political establishment in both parties. We’re going up against those billionaire megadonors and their puppet politicians. But you know, my life has always shown me that it’s a good idea to bet it on the underdog,” the Texas state representative told Politico.
Allred reportedly secured more than $100 million in 2024 to take on Cruz only to lose the race by more than 8 points. Nevertheless, polling from August by the former NFL linebacker’s supporters showed Allred ahead of Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton among likely midterm voters. Paxton is challenging incumbent Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, to be the Republican nominee in the 2026 general election.
Other declared Democrat candidates in the primary are Terry Virts, a retired Air Force colonel and astronaut, and two lesser known hopefuls, Emily Morgul and Michael Swanson.
A graduate of Texas’ flagship public university, the University of Texas at Austin, and Harvard University, Talarico worked as a middle school teacher before elected office. He has also touted his Protestant mainline seminarian resume and has discussed extensively his positions on moral issues. On Rogan‘s podcast, for example, he defended Christian support for abortion.
“So, this idea that to be a Christian means you have to be anti-gay and anti-abortion. There really is no historical, theological, or biblical basis for that opinion,” Talarico told the podcast host.
Talarico has also in the past praised a form of Christianity endorsed by nonbelievers.
“The thing that warms my heart the most is people who say, ‘I’m an atheist, agnostic, or I left the church or I left religion. But this is the kind of Christianity I can believe in,’” he told Politico in 2023. The Texas state legislator is also known for opposing a state bill that would have required the Ten Commandments in every public school classroom.
“This bill to me is not only unconstitutional, it’s not only un-American, I think it is also deeply un-Christian. And I say that because I believe this bill is idolatrous,” Talarico said in a clip posted on X about the legislation.