James Talarico

Recent media appearances

• TV spotNov 7, 2026Talarico appears as himself in the SNL cold openSaturday Night Live
• InterviewOct 20, 2026James Talarico challenges Ken Paxton to a TMZ-hosted Senate debateTMZ
• Town hallOct 14, 2026CNN town hall with James Talarico, moderated by Erin BurnettCNN and Jubilee
• Town hallJul 19, 2026Talarico town hall in Houston on outreach to Black votersFOX 4

Top articles

1. CNNTalarico tackles abortion, faith and conspiracy theories: Takeaways from the CNN-Jubilee town hallOct 14, 2026
2. Associated PressTalarico targets Paxton's scandals in Texas Senate race, pivoting from his sunny primary messageMay 28, 2026
3. The Texas TribuneTala-freak-o vs. Ken the Criminal: Texas candidates sharpen attacks as U.S. Senate race locks inMay 27, 2026
4. The Texas TribuneIn U.S. Senate bid, Rep. James Talarico promises to take on GOP billionaires and bridge political dividesSep 9, 2025

Overview

James Talarico is a Democratic member of the Texas House, first elected in 2018, who represents District 50 in Travis County. He is a former public middle school teacher on San Antonio's West Side and a Presbyterian seminarian. house.texas.gov texastribune.org jamestalarico.com

He announced his campaign for U.S. Senate in September 2025 and was the Democratic nominee in the 2026 Texas Senate race against Republican Attorney General Ken Paxton. texastribune.org texastribune.org 2

He opened his general election campaign with a Houston rally and centered his message on corruption and the influence of megadonors in politics. wtop.com texastribune.org

Platform

• Says the first legislation he would pursue in the Senate is an anti-corruption package that bans super PACs, corporate PACs and partisan gerrymandering.jamestalarico.com
• Proposes banning members of Congress from trading individual stocks and setting term limits of six House terms and two Senate terms.jamestalarico.com
• Proposes a middle-class cost-of-living tax cut through larger child and earned income tax credits, paid for with higher taxes on billionaires and large corporations.jamestalarico.com
• Proposes raising the federal minimum wage to $15 an hour and repealing the Trump tariffs.jamestalarico.com
• Proposes letting Americans of any age join Medicare as a not-for-profit public option.jamestalarico.com
• Says he would codify Roe v. Wade and protect access to contraception and IVF.jamestalarico.com
• Proposes universal Pre-K for 3- and 4-year-olds and says he would reject private school vouchers.jamestalarico.com
• Says he supports more border agents, better surveillance technology and expanded legal pathways for immigrants, and does not support abolishing ICE.texastribune.org