09/20/2025
Is James Talarico strategically trying to mirror himself like Pete Buttigieg or Barack Obama to defeat Senator John Cornyn? Some seem to think so-but is Texas ready and willing to vote for this?
Texas may be buckling down — going deep red.
John Cornyn John Cornyn James Talarico
The Texas lawmaker James Talarico is young, well spoken, and eager to talk with Republicans—just what some Democrats think they need to finally turn the state blue. https://theatln.tc/7LWrJAsj
Talarico—a four-term Democratic Texas state representative and Presbyterian seminarian—announced that he’s launching a Senate campaign for Republican Senator John Cornyn’s seat. “In so doing, Talarico has cemented himself as his party’s newest, shiniest 2026 contender,” Elaine Godfrey writes.
The 36-year-old “stands out for his relative youth but also for his particular brand of long-winded eloquence,” Godfrey writes. “He can sound, in some ways, like a southern-style Barack Obama or a Texas Pete Buttigieg.” His emphasis on faith in his rhetoric is something Democrats are hoping to emphasize to help him reach across the aisle.
“Talarico told me that wooing voters is like navigating a school cafeteria,” Godfrey writes. “‘You sit at the table where people want you to sit,’ he said, and ‘it’s our job as elected leaders’ to show voters that they’re wanted.”
When Godfrey asked Talarico how his party can move forward after major losses in November, he chided her gently. “We should embrace this time in the wilderness,” he said. “It’s where new leaders and new movements come forth.”
Talarico has, at times, come off as something of a progressive populist in the vein of Bernie Sanders, saying he thinks politics is “top versus bottom” rather than “left versus right.” But other times, Talarico scans as more ideologically ambiguous. “In our first interview, Talarico didn’t mention the president until 30 minutes in, and only after I’d asked directly. ‘I get why people voted for Trump,’ he told me. They find his straightforwardness refreshing, he said, ‘and I find it refreshing at times.’ But Trump promised his supporters two things: lower prices and less corruption, Talarico told me. ‘Obviously he’s done the exact opposite,’ he said.”
“This is where Talarico sees an opening for his candidacy,” Godfrey continues at the link in our bio, “as well as a line of attack that has been available to Democrats but that, at least so far, many have struggled to pursue.”
🎨: Ben Kothe / The Atlantic. Source: Talia Sprague / AP.