Democratic Texas Senate nominee James Talarico attempted Wednesday to pivot away from his past controversial comments after securing his party’s nomination for the November election.
Talarico said in 2021 that God was “non-binary” and that trans children were made in His image. The nominee told CBS News’ Ed O’Keefe that he regrets some of his “intentionally provocative” statements, though he criticized Republican Texas Senate nominee Ken Paxton for clipping his “cringey” moments.
“Well, you know, I think I was being intentionally provocative with that statement. But what it means is that God can’t be defined by human categories,” Talarico told O’Keefe. “The Apostle Paul, in his letter to the Galatians, says that in Christ there is neither male nor female. I’m always going to stand up for Texans who are being picked on by the most powerful, most corrupt politicians in the country … There are some statements that I’ve made that I certainly regret. There are statements that I’ve made where I’ve missed the mark.”
“But Ken Paxton is intentionally clipping my cringey comments to distract from his career of corruption. Ken Paxton has a criminal record. I have a legislative record. I’ve served for four terms in the Texas House of Representatives, where I brought Democrats and independents together to actually make progress for people,” Talarico continued.
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Paxton defeated incumbent Texas Sen. John Cornyn during Tuesday’s runoff race after receiving President Donald Trump’s endorsement. Texas Democrats have not won a statewide race since 1994 or a Senate race since 1988, the year Talarico was born.
Talarico has made several pro-transgender remarks and has used the Bible to back up his far-left stances. He claimed that the biblical account of Jesus’ conception justified abortion and also said on a May 2023 podcast that he loved transgender kids when asked to name something he loved other than his family and friends.
The Democratic nominee also said a person cannot call themselves a Christian if they support the oil and gas industries.
Paxton has been embroiled in his own controversies, including an extramarital affair that prompted his wife, Republican Texas state Sen. Angela Paxton, to file for divorce. He was indicted on felony securities fraud charges and reached a pretrial agreement involving community service and retribution in 2024.
The Texas House impeached Paxton in 2023 on 20 articles, alleging that he misused his office to aid Nate Paul, a wealthy real estate developer and political donor. The state Senate acquitted Paxton in Sept. 2023.
During his victory speech, Paxton ramped up his attacks on Talarico by calling him a “weird and radical guy.”
“James Talarico is a threat to everything we hold dear in this state and in this country. He’s a threat to our security and our safety. He wants open borders and even said a welcome mat should be at our southern border. He’s a threat to our children. He wants boys in girls sports. Gender mutilation surgery performed on kids … That’s weird and that’s a radical guy,” Paxton said.
Democrats appeared cautiously optimistic about Paxton’s victory on Tuesday and about their chances of beating him in November, The Hill reported.
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