Texas Democrat Senate Nominee James Talarico Shrugs Off GOP's Attacks On His Masculinity: 'Politics As Professional Wrestling' - uPolitics
James Talarico has been called “Low-T Talarico,” “Tofu Talarico,” “Six-Gender Jimmy,” “Tala-freak-o,” a “gay vegan,” and, by White House adviser Stephen Miller, the Democrats’ “first transgender Senate candidate. ” He is not transgender. The Texas state representative and Democratic Senate nominee says he had to Google one of the insults. He’s not losing sleep over any […]
James Talaricohas been called “Low-T Talarico,” “Tofu Talarico,” “Six-Gender Jimmy,” “Tala-freak-o,” a “gay vegan,” and, by White House adviserStephen Miller, the Democrats’ “first transgender Senate candidate. ” He is not transgender. The Texas state representative and Democratic Senate nominee says he had to Google one of the insults. He’s not losing sleep over any of them. “I honestly get the sense that people across the spectrum, across the state, are tired of this ‘politics as professional wrestling,'” Talarico told MSNBC in an interview that aired Saturday. “You got these old guys lathered up in their fake tan, throwing corny nicknames at each other. ”The barrage began the moment RepublicanKen Paxtonclinched his party’s Senate nomination last month. In his victory speech, Paxton — fresh off a bruising primary runoff against incumbent Sen. John Cornyn— passed the microphone around a packed suburban Houston barbecue restaurant and let the crowd brainstorm insults for his general election opponent. Subscribe To Our Cheat SheetOne week of political news in your inbox!The nicknames flowed. Paxton previewed his closing argument: Talarico, a vegan (actually, he’s not), was “unqualified” to represent Texas. “We never had a U. S. senator who didn’t eat meat, especially Texas barbecue,” Paxton told the crowd as waiters moved across the floor with heaping plates of brisket and sausage. President Donald Trump piled on, calling Talarico “a weird — a weird—candidate” who “can’t get elected as a vegan in Texas” and writing on Truth Social that the Democrat “insults Jesus Christ” and “believes there are 6 genders. ” Fox News hostJesse Wattersquestioned whether Talarico actually has a girlfriend. Political analysts say the strategy is deliberate — and distinctly Trumpian. Talarico has given Republicans some material to work with. Past comments about “six biological sexes,” a “nonbinary God,” and running a “non-meat campaign” have surfaced repeatedly in GOP ads. Talarico has acknowledged that some of those statements were “intentionally provocative” and said he missed the mark. But he’s also fighting back. After Paxton coined “Talafreako,” Talarico’s campaign immediately put it on T-shirts. After raising $3 million in the 24 hours following Paxton’s primary win, he launched a five-city “People vs. Paxton” tour, leaning into Paxton’s own history — an impeachment by a Republican-majority Texas House in 2023, though he was later acquitted by the state Senate. The race to replace retiring GOP Sen. John Cornynhas already been reclassified by both the Cook Political Report and Larry Sabato’s Crystal Ball from “Likely R” to “Leans R” — a shift that reflects broader GOP anxiety about nominating the scandal-scarred Paxton in a race they need to hold. Talarico’s closing message is simple: the insults are a tell. “They have no solutions to lower people’s costs and raise their pay,” he said. “So if they have no affirmative argument to make to voters, I think that is a good sign for our chances in November. ”LikeLikeLoveHahaWowSadAngryRead more about: