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.
And also of separation of church and state.
His faith-based takedown of the bill to put up donated ten commandments posters in classrooms was pretty great.
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.
The good news is that Crockett will remain in Congress where she has been a very effective critic of MAGA. I’m sorry she probably won’t be able to move beyond that position, but that’s the consequences of being a black woman politician in Texas. She’s lucky to be in that office at all.
AOC, OTOH, has a good chance of taking Schmuck Schumer’s or BackStabbing Gillibrand’s seats, and I wish she’d get to doing it. Those two have to go, especially Schmuckie-Boy.
Alexandria has bigger things in store for her i hope. But someone needs to send Schumer to his retirement home in Tel Aviv for sure
I thought that part of the reason she was running for senate was that her district had been gerrymandered out of existence - if so, she will only be in the house until January.
Def not, her district is barely changing and is heavily Democratic. You can compare the old and new boundaries on the map here
From that exact page:
“Redistricted to the 33rd district but choosing to retire to run for U.S. Senate.”
someone should take hakeem jefferies seat too.
Absolutely. I think Schmuck is far worse, but that doesn’t mean Jeffries isn’t awful, too. The Dems will never get anywhere with those two losers leading. They will always lose to MAGA, because they have a sick obsession with being polite to literally the worst people on the planet.
schumer has more power because they get the final say in any AID/bills, thats why mtg wanted to run but was ignored by trump. if not schumer it would be the other 13 dinos he was shielding who take the mantle.
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
Are you not counting unitarians? Because hands down they’re the best denomination. Only ones I see consistently waving rainbow flags and free Palestine banners.
Unitarian is not Christian. There are a lot of disaffected Christians at your local Unitarian church, but they welcome all religions as well as atheists.
what makes you say they’re not christian? they believe in god and they follow the teachings of christ. calling them not christian feels very “evangelicals say ethiopian orthodox isn’t real christianity” to me.
Most Quakers seem chill, but maybe I’m overlooking some shitty views they may hold?
Yeah, they’re pretty good too, but don’t really see that many of there churches these days.
Also your username is dumb and unoriginal. You aren’t fooling anyone Rick.
Get off my lawn, kid
Presbyterians, ELCA Lutherans, and United Methodists coalition together. Just FWIW. They have different theologies but very similar approaches to what ultimately matters out in the world: ethics
Idk I have to respect the Quakers, even if the only Quakers to be president were remarkably awful (Hoover and Nixon)
A white man who in 2026 has the political sense to say “Gaza is a genocide and that’s a simple moral question,” while Crockett took AIPAC money and voted to continue funding Israel.
This map convinces me of that. Even amongst the people voting in a dem primary, the rural people preferred the white church boy. Crockett is more qualified, but Talarico has a better chance of actually winning.
Fortunately, they were both good candidates.
Brother. Do you know how rural all that purple is?? That’s the East Texas Piney woods, just as rural as any prairie farmer
East Texas is also significantly more African American, even in the small towns
What you see on this map is the Hispanic population overwhelmingly supporting Talarico over Crockett, and vice versa for the black population. This bodes well for a general election, given Texas is 40% Hispanic.
Looks like San Antonio has churros and Talarico voters.
I like her and it’s clear her messaging is orchestrated to appeal to those of us who hate maga and the rapist in chief BUT she’s an ardent AIPAC shill. Fuck every single AIPAC backed candidate regardless of party. Fuck them all.
This right here.
👏TRACK👏AIPAC👏.COM
My problem with Crockett was that she took corporate PAC money. Talerico ran on not taking corporate PAC money.
I don’t think Talerico is nearly progressive enough, with the main issue I found being that he supports a public option over universal healthcare, which will ultimately leave insurance corporations in charge. I do hope that, if elected, he could be convinced to pivot further left and that he will continue to not take corporate money, but at this point, I’ll believe it when I see it.
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.
I love his gimmick! Being openly Christian and stuff, but not being an intolerant, genocidal brained, warmonger!
He seems to have threaded the needle of studying the bible and not becoming an atheist or a rabid right winger. His belief does appear to be a major factor in trying to help the people who need help. You know, like Jesus said you should.
For real dude knows how to work a Texas crowd
So far as I can tell, Crockett was practically an idpol/Woke-v1 psyop by conservatives. I never thought I’d be happy to see a black woman lose in Texas, or cheer for GenericChristianWhiteBoy#12, but here we are…
And in the long run, as much as this also sucks, the presidency.
conservatives/or “on the fence” are likely to choose a white man, christian over women any day, if they have to somehow vote for D, they would never do it for the likes harris, and clinton because they are women.
Call me a dumb fuck, but where can I find this info prior to voting day?
Edit: not this info but the info below this