James Talarico

Texas State Representative James Talarico is running for the U.S. Senate against impeached and indicted Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton (R) in what is expected to be a hotly-contested campaign. Talarico has captured national recognition for his focus on ending corruption and his opposition to Christian Nationalism. Talarico won his March 3 primary outright, while his Republican opponent Paxton had to face a run-off against incumbent Sen. John Cornyn.

An eighth-generation Texan, Talarico was born and raised in Round Rock, Texas. He has served in the Texas House of Representatives since 2018, when he flipped Texas House District 50 which Donald Trump had carried by 9 points just two years earlier. He earned a bachelor's degree in government from the University of Texas at Austin, a master's degree in education policy from Harvard University, and is training to be a pastor at Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary.

Before entering politics, Talarico joined Teach for America, where he taught sixth-grade English in San Antonio, and later served as executive director of an education nonprofit. His personal story — raised by a single mother who escaped an abusive relationship and rebuilt their lives on the eastside of Austin — drives his commitment to fighting for working families.

Talarico has fought to:

• Fund neighborhood public schools and expand educational opportunity for all Texas children
• Lower the cost of child care, housing, and prescription drugs for working families
• Expand job opportunities for young adults across Texas
• End the influence of billionaire mega-donors and corporate money in our politics
• Protect democracy and fight corruption in government
• Ensure every Texan has access to quality, affordable health care
• Invest in rural communities and deliver broadband access statewide
• Protect reproductive freedom and the rights of Texas families
• Develop responsible immigration and border security policies that reflect Texas values
• Create good-paying jobs through a clean energy economy

As a state representative, Talarico has championed policies rooted in his faith and his belief that government must work for ordinary people — not the wealthy and powerful. In the U.S. Senate, he will bring that same conviction to Washington to take on the billionaires and corporate interests that have rigged the system against working Texans.