James Talarico was Chuck Schumer’s hand-picked candidate to flip the Texas Senate seat blue.
But Schumer got some bad news.
And James Talarico’s racist onslaught against White Christians will make your blood boil.
Democrats bet that nominating Talarico, a white man who claimed to be a pastor, would allow them to appeal to white male and Christian voters who have fled the Democratic Party in increasing numbers over the last decade.
Talarico, boasting about running a vegan campaign, put the ability to present himself as a normal guy in doubt.
And Talarico’s last comments about how God is nonbinary and the Bible supports abortion undercut the idea that Talarico could speak to voters of faith.
But the final nail in the coffin on both counts was a 2024 “Holy Conversation: Faith and Politics” where Talatico attacked White churches as inferior to black churches because they are too focused on the “afterlife.”
“Too many white churches are focused on the afterlife and not really much on this life,” Talarico stated. “In my opinion, a lot of white churches don’t resemble the Jesus we meet in the Gospels, of being out in the world, freeing the oppressed, healing the sick, and feeding the hungry.”
Talarico then went on to claim that black churches’ focus on political and social justice causes made them more authentic followers of Jesus than White churches.
“And in the black churches that I’ve been in, they, I think, because of their position in this country historically and currently, have a much deeper and more accurate understanding of what it means to follow Jesus in the 21st century,” Talarico added. “So I’m glad that we are learning from black churches. I know my church is up in North Austin, and it sounds like this church is.”
Talarico claims to be a Christian pastor, but much of his rhetoric runs down Christianity.
In a New Yorker profile, Talarico declared Christianity a “violent” religion that has done “damage” to Islam.
“Judaism is Season 1 of the show, Christianity is Season 2, and Islam is Season 3,” he told me. “I’m Season 2—the most violent season. My religion has done more damage to both of those religions than they’ve done to each other,” Talarico recounted about a conversation with his campaign manager, Seth Krasne.
Texas is one of the seats Democrats are targeting to flip, as they need to win four GOP-held seats to seize the majority in the US Senate.
Polls currently show Republican Ken Paxton leading Talarico.
New – Senate poll – Texas
🔴 Paxton 49%
🔵 Talarico 47%Governor
🔴 Abbott 47%
🔵 Hinojosa 40%YouGov #A – RV – 6/12 pic.twitter.com/L4qg8ULmae
— Political Polls (@PpollingNumbers) June 23, 2026
Republicans bet that as more Texas voters become acquainted with Talarco’s views on whites and Christianity, that lead will grow.
Conservative Reboot will keep you up to date on any new developments in this ongoing story and other breaking news in politics. Please bookmark our site, make it your homepage, and share our content with your friends on social media and by email.