Rep. James Talarico
Texas Rep. James Talarico will announce Tuesday he’s jumping into the race for U.S. Senate, according to two people familiar with the plans who were granted anonymity to discuss them.
Politico and CNN reported the plan earlier Friday.
Talarico will be the second high-profile Democrat to enter the race.
Talarico, a rising star among Texas Democrats, has made a name for himself through a string of viral social media moments that show him drawing on his Christian faith while he spars with Republican colleagues and conservative media hosts, covering topics like school vouchers and Texas’ new policy of requiring the Ten Commandments to be displayed in public school classrooms. His videos on TikTok regularly earn millions of views, and he notched a coveted appearance earlier this summer on Joe Rogan’s top-rated podcast show.
A former public school teacher and nonprofit director, Talarico, 36, has served in the Texas House since 2018, representing North Austin and parts of Pflugerville and Round Rock, where he grew up. He hopes to one day become a pastor, earning his master’s degree in theological studies last year from Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary.
Talarico will join former U.S. Rep. Colin Allred and former astronaut Terry Virts in a closely watched Democratic primary that might still generate more candidates. Former U.S. Rep. Beto O’Rourke of El Paso and U.S. Rep. Joaquin Castro of San Antonio have flirted with joining the race.
The contest is of particular interest to Democrats who see blood in the water for incumbent Sen. John Cornyn. The four-term Republican is facing a tough primary challenge from Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, who Democrats see as vulnerable in a general election due to his ethics scandals, infidelities and hardline conservative stances. Paxton has led Cornyn in polling, though recent surveys suggest the race is tightening.
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Talarico has leaned in recent months into the idea that Democrats need to show voters they are fighting for the middle class against billionaires and those who would cheat the system. After he deployed that argument with Rogan, the politically amorphous podcast host who has recently veered right, told Talarico near the end of the two-and-a-half-hour show that he should run for president.
More recently, Talarico was on the forefront of Democratic messaging against the mid-decade redistricting effort pushed by Trump to protect the GOP’s congressional majority, joining the contingent of House lawmakers who camped out in Illinois last month to delay the new map.
“The Democratic Party has forgotten how to fight, but this critical moment in our country’s history demands fighters, not folders,” Talarico told a room full of Democrats in Hays County in August. “It’s time to start flipping tables.”
I’ll be honest, I would have preferred Talarico run for Governor if he was going to go statewide. That’s partly because I’m fine with Allred 2.0 and partly because we need a bigger name in the Governor’s race. But there’s no question that Talarico will bring excitement and energy to the Senate race, and he’s already made a name for himself nationally. I’ll be very interested to see what the October finance reports look like. Welcome to the race, Rep. Talarico.
Don’t know this guy from social media. Not everyone is in the bubble.
Yah, saw his name here and there.
Visually speaking: Young, good-looking, nice haircut, good teeth, great smile … all winning features
Here is some food for thought on “messaging” (rhetoric):
https://abovethelaw.com/2025/09/and-thats-why-we-lost-the-election/
Hopefully, there will be a bit of substance too.
IMO “It’s the oligarchs, stupid” is a better reminder for D candidates. You see Zohran Mamdami achieve front runner status in the NYC mayoral race with a message that it’s a bad thing that too many of the people who make that city run can’t afford to live there anymore. In Maine, there’s Senate candidate Graham Platner explicitly calling out the oligarchs and generating buzz. If that’s going to be one of Talarico‘s major issues, he’s got my attention. I’ve had more than my fill of establishment Dems whose first instinct is to go soothe the big donors.
As for Allred, I voted for him last time, but if you lose to someone as odious as Ted Cruz by 8 points, I feel that you are not the one.