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Democratic lawmaker James Talarico, from Texas, jumped into the high-profile and flammable state on Tuesday Senate Games.
Talarico, a state representative, former middle school teacher and Presbyterian seminary, considered a new star among Democrats, became his party’s second major contender, launching a campaign in the seat currently held by a long-time Republican. Senator John Cornyn.
Democrats believe that their seats can be flipped in most of the latest Republican Senate Elementary School polls when the Cornyn Trails scandal, Attorney General Ken Paxton scandal.
“The biggest gap in our country is not the difference on the right, but on the right. The giant billionaire figures and puppet politicians have taken over our state and our country, manipulating the system for themselves,” Talarico said in a statement shared with Fox News when announcing the candidate. “I’m working to run for the U.S. Senate, bringing people together and bringing electricity to working Texans.”
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Texas Rep. James Talarico launched a democratic movement for the U.S. Senate on September 9, 2025. (James Talarico Senate Movement)
Talarico portrays himself as a weak man, saying he is “confronting political institutions, we are breaking a lot of money. Big money is powerful, but it’s nothing compared to the power of the people.”
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Former Democratic Rep. Colin Allred launched a Senate campaign in July. Allred is a former college football star who later played in the National Football League and is the 2024 Democratic Senate nominee In Texaslost to conservative Rockets Senator Ted Cruz.
Former Rep. Colin Allred, a Texas 2024 Democratic Senate nominee, runs for the Senate’s second straight election cycle. (Reuters/Marco Bello)
Former astronaut Terry Virts is also running for the Democratic Senate nomination.
Democrats have long been committed to turning Texas purple in the red country into purple, but have failed repeatedly in statewide elections.
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Together with Cruz’s comfortable reelection last year, the president Donald Trump Texas improved Texas by 13 percentage points, beating his unit win rate in the state in the 2016 and 2020 presidential elections.
But if Paxton enjoys strong support in the Republican primary next March, Democrats see a path to victory in the 2026 election.
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton left, Senator John Cornyn, who was the main challenge in the Republican Senate nomination contest in Texas in 2026. (Fox News figures)
Talarico, who speaks openly about his beliefs and how it shapes his progressive policy agenda, has attracted national attention through many social media appearances that spread. His tiktok videos also boosted his profile, which caught millions of views, and his appearance on Joe Rogan’s top ratings podcast.
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Earlier this summer, Talarico was a regular on the cable news network, conducting dozens of national media interviews as he and dozens of Democrats in the Texas House fled the state for weeks to delay the redistribution push in the Trump-led Texas to create up to five, five, right-wing congressional seats.
Talarico, 36, will hold a rally Tuesday night in his hometown of Round Rock, Texas, north of Austin.
