James Talarico won the Democratic nomination for a US Senate seat in Texas on Tuesday, capping a remarkable rise from state lawmaker and seminary student to the party’s standard-bearer in one of the key races of the 2026 midterm cycle.
With his blend of faith-based populism, bipartisan appeal and generational energy, Talarico defeated Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett, a firebrand beloved by the party’s base but who struggled to dispel concerns that she could defeat a Republican in a state that has not elected a Democrat statewide in more than 30 years.
A jubilant Talarico told supporters in Austin before the race was called: “We are not just trying to win an election. We are trying to fundamentally change our politics. And it’s working.”
I love Jasmine Crockett but infuriatingly, a white man that talks frequently about his Christian faith is much more likely to win a senate seat in Texas.
I also like Crockett, but to be fair I haven’t seen much about Talerico I don’t like beyond his Christianity. To be fair in that regard he at least talks the talk of a genuine Christian, rather than the hate mongering bigotry you normally see.
Remember that Crockett took a $25k paid trip to Israel by an AIPAC affiliate. Also Talarico’s messaging blows hers out of the water with independents and moderate Republicans, and yet still manages to put him closer to AOC in attacking billionaires.
Agreed. If Crockett had more leftist ideals and political substance, she’d be a member of the squad. That is not what she is tho. I hope she stays fighting as a Rep and is supportive of initiatives coming from the left wing of the party.
Yeah the AIPAC Israel trip is a big fail
This is one of the things that gives me the most hope for him as a candidate. He is (imo) a great public example of how to a person of faith in politics. I think setting this example will have a large impact on US politics as a whole. I think there are a ton of Christians that would break with Trump in a heartbeat given the choice between a Talarico and a Christian nationalist (as unfortunate as that scenario is).
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: progressive Christians are probably our best bet of significant progress. There are plenty of problems with the dogma and institutions of most modern Christian sects, but Jesus himself was obviously extremely progressive. And Christians as a whole (2/3 of Americans) tend to let Christian messaging heavily influence their vote.
A wave of Talaricos could seriously jeopardize the Republican party. This should be highly encouraged.
It’s not about race…
Talarico is more progressive and can convince people to agree with him.
Crockett is more conservative and just yells at people, that’s why the NRSC manipulated her into running, why after that came out she refused to acknowledge it, and why she’s now claiming the reason she lost is racism and she’s suing.
Even if we were skipping a general and either one was guaranteed to be a Texas Senator, Talarico.was the best choice.
It wasn’t just “who’s most electable” and frankly it’s concerning that so many people didn’t look deeper than skin color but are so opinionated on this.
You’re the reason the NRSC tried this manipulation, because it worked on you.
We can’t afford for it to happen again, look into candidates and what they actually have as a platform. Not just who’s the most outrageous on social media.
Removed by mod
You’re literally falling for Republican propaganda…
https://www.notus.org/senate/jasmine-crockett-nrsc-texas-senate
That propaganda is literally the only reason she ran:
We can’t afford to just ignore that people are being manipulated…
Shitlibs can’t comprehend a world where their identity isn’t the center of the universe.
He was the better candidate with a more attractive message for the target audience.
They also had the earned media from the Trump/ Colbert thing.
I genuinely think Crockett wins without that. That was hundreds of millions in earned media, and just an unforced error on the part of Trump.
If Trump had just “done nothing”, that Talarico interview maybe gets 80k views coming from people who just “Like Colbert”. Instead it got millions of views because it was the thing everyone was interested in for 48 hours. And it got a lot of people who would have not known who Talarico was to learn the name.
Tbf he’s Presbyterian, the same church as Mr Rogers, and by this atheist’s view, the only genuinely honest Christian sect as a whole. They focus heavily on Christ’s teaching on community, believe in the charitable service of others as the devine will of god, and they don’t prostilitize or require tithes. That’s not to say bad people can’t be apart of any faith, but as he’s a minister of that church (like Mr Rogers) I’m inclined to think he’s honest about those core beliefs and not just riding the good name of the church like other politicians have.
Ultimately none of that really matters. He’s on record more progressive than Crockett, and unlike her, did not take AIPAC money. That should be a deal breaker for any voter I don’t care what party, ethnicity, sexual orientation, or religion.
https://www.trackaipac.com/states/texas
Idk I have to respect the Quakers, even if the only Quakers to be president were remarkably awful (Hoover and Nixon)
Same, me and my wife were split on this vote, but I’d be fine voting for either one, I just wish they were running for different seats. Hope Crockett sticks around to oust Cruz in 2031, but I imagine she finds another race before then.