Watch as Collin County resident Katie Ryan shares why state Rep. James Talarico—a 36-year-old former teacher and aspiring preacher—has her support as he kicks off his US Senate campaign.
Talarico will face former US Rep. Colin Allred and former astronaut Terry Virt in the Democratic primary in March.
Top Republicans in the Texas Legislature, already cracking down on speech they don’t care for from professors and students, formed two committees to study “bias, discourse, and freedom of speech” on public college campuses.
The committees, which are stacked with Republicans, were formed following the killing of far right political activist Charlie Kirk, and come as Texas professors have come under online scrutiny.
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Mayor John Whitmire, facing criticism over a delay in payouts for more than 300 city employees who accepted a buyout to retire, fired back during a recent Houston City Council meeting. He put the blame on the Houston Municipal Employees Pension Plan, which was overwhelmed with processing 1,052 early retirements.
Sherry Mose, chair of the pension plan, told Whitmire and the council during its Sept. 10 meeting that more than 700 of the retirees have been paid. The remainder will be paid by the end of September. The city offered early retirement to workers earlier this year to help address a budget shortfall.
Feeling scrappy? State Rep. James Talarico reminded supporters that living in a politically red state has taught them how to fight, pointing to Democratic icons like Barbara Jordan, Beto O’Rourke, and Wendy Davis.
Talarico, running for US Senate in 2026, wants to become the first Texas Democrat to win a statewide campaign since 1994.
