Democrats have had their fair share of disappointments in Texas. Every Senate or presidential cycle, the party tells itself, "this is the year” that Texas finally turns blue. Every time, it ends in disappointment, but only after Democrats have thrown all kinds of money and resources into the state that they could have spent somewhere winnable.
This year, it's the same story, and the candidate they're banking on is the worst, most un-Texan beta male you could imagine. Texas State Rep. James Talarico (D-50th District) holds positions on religion, transgenderism, and women's sports that sit far outside the mainstream in America at large, let alone a Republican-leaning state.
But the polls claim the race is competitive, and some suggest he's winning. Earlier this week, the New York Times reported that Senate Majority PAC, the super PAC aligned with Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), will start running ads to boost Talarico. That puts real pressure on Talarico to deliver.
Now Talarico is running a new ad, and it’s hilarious. It’s literally Talarico denying stuff.
#TexasSenate
— Politics & Poll Tracker 📡 (@PollTracker2024) October 2, 2026
Medium Buying: James Talarico releases new ad
Talarico: “Kan Paxton is lying about my record, even making fake AI videos of me. No, I'm not a member of the Chinese Communist Party. No, I don't support sex change surgeries for kids.” pic.twitter.com/wcPquEXrGA
So why is a candidate who's supposedly ahead spending heavily on a new ad to distance himself from GOP ads exposing his radical voting record in the Texas House? Winning campaigns don't burn cash playing defense. This is a clear sign his campaign is in trouble.
In the ad, Talarico says he "is not a member of the Chinese Communist Party" and does not "support sex change surgeries for kids," and he claims the Paxton campaign is "making fake AI videos" of him.
The problem is that Talarico's record exists, and both issues have dogged him since he launched his campaign. He voted against legislation that would have stopped foreign adversaries, China among them, from buying up big parcels of Texas land. He cast that vote while wealthy Chinese nationals were moving to purchase property near American military installations.
ICYMI: Renee Good's Family Sues the Government. Here’s Everything That Blows Up Their Case.
Then there's Senate Bill 14, which banned transition surgeries for minors and cut off state funding for organizations performing them. Talarico fought it and called it "the most dangerous bill" of the session. Hidden-camera footage also caught him admitting that, if he wins the U.S. Senate seat, he'd emulate the way he "fought for trans kids" in the Texas House.
He isn't the only one on tape, either. Last month, an undercover journalist caught Talarico’s "minister" at St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church in Austin discussing exactly what we've suspected all along.
"He's getting some advice that I don't think he should be following," the minister said. "I can guarantee you that once he gets elected, he'll change his tune back to where he was," she told the undercover journalist.
And you don’t even have to take her word for it, you can take Talarico’s. He was just caught in undercover video making it clear his radical agenda hasn’t changed.
🚨WATCH
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) September 29, 2026
James Talarico — who fought to allow the gender mutilation of children and to let men compete in girls' sports — says his far-Left agenda hasn't changed.
TALARICO: “The way I fought for trans kids in the legislature is how I will fight for them in the US Senate.” pic.twitter.com/D3odeXDw7e
I've said before that Talarico's rightward shift on trans issues is proof that the attacks on his record in the state legislature have been effective. Nobody believes Talarico had some epiphany about trans issues that just happened to present itself while he's running a statewide campaign in the red state of Texas.
I believe his internal polling is telling him the attacks on his record are working. The GOP has been hammering him on it, and judging by this new ad, he's trying hard to fool the voters about who he really is. A candidate who's comfortable with his numbers doesn't cut an ad denying stuff.
Editor’s Note: The 2026 Midterms will determine the fate of President Trump’s America First agenda. Republicans must maintain control of both chambers of Congress.
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