Texas Senate primary

'Bet it on the underdog': Talarico officially enters the Texas Senate primary

The March 3 primary will be a major test for Democrats in the Lone Star state.

By Adam Wren

State Rep. James Talarico entered a crowded Texas Senate race on Tuesday, the latest Democrat vying to take on the monumental task of flipping the state.

Talarico is widely viewed as a rising star in the party, but he enters the primary as an underdog. Former Rep. Colin Allred, a civil rights attorney and former NFL linebacker, just spent north of $94 million last year in an 8.5-point loss to Sen. Ted Cruz that won him significant name identification across the state. He also boasts a growing list of endorsements and a 10-week head start on the 36-year-old Talarico.

But Talarico, the former middle school teacher and seminarian who grew up the son of a single mother, has attracted significant attention since he flipped a Trump-leaning state House district in the Austin suburb of Round Rock, winning it by 2 percentage points in 2018. He has since built a viral video presence leaning on his theological background and scored a coveted sitdown on Joe Rogan’s podcast in July.

Now Talarico will test the power of the attention economy to mobilize Democratic donors, volunteers and voters in a state that has long been out of reach. An eighth-generation Texan, Talarico said he knows there’s a steep path — both to the nomination and the Senate — but he’s ready for a challenge (he once walked 25 miles across the length of his district twice, holding three town halls over 10 hours).

“This is not going to be easy by any stretch of the imagination,” Talarico told POLITICO in an interview. “We’re going up against the political establishment in both parties. We’re going up against those billionaire mega-donors and their puppet politicians. But you know, my life has always shown me that it’s a good idea to bet it on the underdog.”

Terry Virts, a former astronaut, and Mike Swanson, a former flight attendant, are also running in the March 3 primary.

Talarico, who previously considered running for governor, has been getting attention among party watchers: His Rogan appearance helped vault him to the national spotlight, and when Texas Democrats decided to leave the state during the August redistricting battle, Talarico became one of the faces of the group, racking up cable and podcast appearances from hotels in the Chicago area. Former President Barack Obama called him to thank him for his efforts.

Talarico’s candidacy sets up among the sharpest nationwide tests of whether a red-state candidate can run against the national party’s brand.

“The national Democratic Party needs to be a little less Washington and a little more Texas,” Talarico said. “And what I mean by that is, Democrats here in Texas and in red states across the country, we’ve had to learn how to fight.”

Talarico has avoided weighing in on whether he would back Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer in leadership after 2026, saying only that he’s not “up to date on the D.C. drama between these different factions of the party.”

Some in the party say Allred’s loss does not bode well for a redo.

Emily Cherniack, the founder and executive director of New Politics, a group focused on backing candidates with public service backgrounds, said Talarico is not a “D.C. consultant candidate that is Colin Allred, who already spent $94 million and lost.”

Even amid their long-unfulfilled wishcasting that the state is on the brink of turning blue, Democrats see a politically damaged potential Republican nominee in scandal-ridden Attorney General Ken Paxton, who is leading primary polls against incumbent GOP Sen. John Cornyn.

Allred’s campaign points to polling they say shows him as the strongest candidate to beat Paxton, with Allred up 2 percentage points in a general election head-to-head matchup. A poll by Public Policy Polling obtained by POLITICO shows Allred with 76 percent name recognition to Talarico’s 48 percent, and with Talarico trailing Allred by 8 percentage points.

“I’ve never taken anything for granted in life or politics, and this campaign is no exception. I know why I’m running: to lower costs, tackle the affordability crisis head-on, and stop corrupt politicians like John Cornyn and Ken Paxton from rigging the system to make life more expensive for hardworking Texans,” Allred said in a statement that didn’t directly acknowledge Talarico’s entry into the race. “For the next fourteen months, my focus will be on meeting with and listening to Texas families — all across our state — to build the diverse coalition we need to win.”

Talarico, who an adviser said is expected to barnstorm the state this week as part of his campaign launch, argues the “country is looking for a reset in the Democratic Party.”

“A lot of the energy around our campaign comes from that deep hunger,” he said. “I’m hoping to push the boundaries on our political discourse. I’m hoping to bring people together in shocking ways, and I’m hoping to build a big enough tent that can actually win in a difficult area.”