Trump, GOP intensify attacks on Democrat Talarico as he seeks to end party’s losing streak in Texas
President Trump took aim at Texas state Rep. James Talarico on Sunday, calling the Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate a sure loser in November.
Mr. Talarico recently won a hard-fought primary against Rep. Jasmine Crockett, and now faces the winner of a Republican primary runoff between Sen. John Cornyn and Attorney General Ken Paxton.
Mr. Trump blasted Mr. Talarico, posting on Truth Social: “The Democrat running for Texas, James Talarico, turns out to be a FRAUD! »
The president then accused him of holding “six genders,” “insulting Jesus,” eating “only vegan food” and wearing a mask in 2023 and 2024. Mr. Trump added that Mr. Talarico is “a weak, ineffective guy who we ‘allowed’ to win before releasing the avalanche of information we had on him because, as bad as Crockett was as a candidate, this guy is worse!
He ended with another punch: “I believe that any human being who ran against him, sick, incompetent, near death or even a child, would win. »
Mr. Talarico and Democrats are seeking to end the party’s losing streak in statewide elections and hope to ride a political wave to victory in November. Texas Democrats haven’t won statewide since 1994.
Republicans began to step up their attacks on the 36-year-old, who centered his campaign on his Christian faith.
They played an old video of Mr. Talarico running for president in 2022 and wearing a COVID-era mask, telling an animal rights group that climate change has pushed him to reduce his meat consumption, and saying he was “proud to say our campaign has officially become a meat-free campaign.”
Republicans have cast it as the ultimate sin of Texas, the top livestock-producing state, and as clear evidence that Mr. Talarico’s worldview is not consistent with the state’s values.
Mr. Talarico played down the attack.
“This is a very serious allegation to make in Texas, which is why I want to say it definitively and categorically: I deny all accusations of veganism,” he said in an interview with the Bulwark last week. “Our campaign these days is all about barbecue. »
