San Antonio (AFP) – Texas is known in US politics for its Republicans, gun enthusiasts, big oil, and cattle ranchers, but mild-mannered, scripture-quoting James Talarico may be about to flip the script. The 37-year-old former Presbyterian seminarian and middle school teacher is aiming to become the first Texas Democrat to win a Senate seat in three decades. And polls show his insurgent campaign against the state’s top prosecutor, Republican Ken Paxton, has a real chance in November’s midterm election.
A hardcore conservative, Paxton has President Donald Trump’s backing and is playing hardball, insinuating that Talarico is not masculine enough to represent conservative, meat-loving Texans. But soft-spoken Talarico’s message of returning to decency, fighting corruption, and ending divisive culture wars has resonated across the second-most populous state and economic powerhouse. A Texas Pulse poll by ReconMR/Siena found Talarico and Paxton virtually tied at 46 percent—a shockingly close race for a deeply red state that Republicans are used to sweeping.
Talarico depicts the race, which Democrats dream could help them clinch a Senate majority, as a higher calling. “This is a spiritual battle. Between selfishness and service. Between greed and greatness,” he said. And despite Talarico’s gentle manner, he’s far from above a fight. “Ken Paxton is the most corrupt politician in America,” Talarico said during a blistering attack at a recent campaign rally in San Antonio.
Talarico comes from modest economic roots and a deeply Christian family. He credits his mother, who fled an abusive relationship when he was an infant, for instilling his values. Today, he counts former Democratic president Barack Obama among his supporters and has created a fundraising juggernaut to power his campaign. Despite that political stardom, it’s his working-class, preacher-style image that draws voters.
“I think he’s going to make a difference because he comes from a family that instilled good values in him, and he grew up with a lot of integrity, honor, righteousness,” Mary Lopez, a retired teacher in San Antonio, told AFP. The former seminarian, whose grandfather was a Baptist preacher, “has the right, wonderful principles and all of the plans to put into effect that will make the country great again,” she said.
Analysts think Talarico’s biggest stroke of luck has been the choice of Republican opponent. The incumbent Republican Senator John Cornyn had hoped to run again, but he lost a primary challenge from Paxton, who had Trump’s crucial endorsement, despite being weighed down by multiple corruption scandals. Cornyn, widely seen as more electable, predicted that Paxton “would likely lose to James Talarico,” while acting like an “albatross” for other Republicans running in the midterms.
One surprise Talarico supporter is Paxton’s own former attorney, Dan Cogdell, who says the Democrat is the real deal. “Talarico was a public-school teacher in San Antonio before he was a politician. That’s not a resume line. That’s a value system,” Cogdell said in a statement to AFP.
While Trump clearly expects to lose the House of Representatives in the midterms, his Republicans are fiercely defending their slender Senate majority. And Texas is one of a handful of states where races are close enough to decide the overall outcome. Paxton is leaning into lurid attempts to characterize Talarico—an eighth-generation Texan—as neither Christian nor macho enough.
“Talafreako,” he calls him. He has branded him “Tofu Talarico” and claimed falsely that he is a vegan. This appears to stem from a push Talarico once made for reducing meat consumption due to the impact on climate change. Seeking to undermine Talarico’s image of moral stalwart, Paxton calls Talarico “six-gender Jimmy,” a reference to his past comment about biological variations, and frequently mocks another past statement in which the Democrat referred to God as “non-binary.”
“They’re going to throw everything they have at us,” Talarico said at the San Antonio rally. But in a sign that he won’t easily be thrown on the defensive, Talarico’s campaign also issued a new product for fans: “Talafreako” T-shirts.
© 2024 AFP
