State Rep. James Talarico (D-Austin) formally announced his campaign for US Senate on Tuesday, ending months of speculation about which statewide race he would pick. (Photo by Matt Hennie)
James Talarico, a Presbyterian seminarian and former middle school teacher, blasted billionaire mega-donors as he ramped up a campaign against former US Rep. Colin Allred in the Democratic primary.
State Rep. James Talarico, the Austin Democrat who built a national profile fighting far right proposals in the Texas legislature this year, made it official on Tuesday: He’s running for US Senate.
The 36-year-old Presbyterian seminarian and former middle school teacher announced his campaign just days after national media outlets reported that Talarico would give up his safe seat in the Texas House to try and accomplish what no Democrat has done since 1994—win a statewide race in Texas.
“I’m running for the U.S. Senate to bring people together and take power back for working Texans,” Talarico said in a press release. “This is an underdog fight. We’re going up against the political establishment, and we’re going up against a lot of money. Big Money is powerful, but it’s nothing compared to people power.”
Talarico was the face of opposition to a private school voucher law earlier this year and played a high-profile role this summer when Democratic lawmakers left Texas to try and stop a Republican rewrite of the state’s congressional map.
Talarico’s deft use of social media—1.2 million followers each on Instagram and TikTok—has helped boost his profile by highlighting his faith-based opposition to far right Republican efforts in the legislature. A nearly three-hour interview on Joe Rogan’s podcast in July introduced him to a new audience of politically right-leaning males under 34 years old.
In his campaign announcement, Talarico criticized “billionaire mega-donors and their puppet politicians,” repeating language he used earlier in the year to criticize Gov. Greg Abbott’s school voucher plan.
“The biggest divide in our country is not left vs right—it’s top vs bottom. Billionaire mega-donors and their puppet politicians have taken over our state and our country, rigging the system for themselves,” Talarico said.
Talarico has accepted contributions from groups backed by billionaire donors in both political parties, according to the Texas Tribune. In the legislature, Talarico has proposed caps on campaign donations, but told the Tribune he won’t “unilaterally disarm while Republicans play by their own rules.”
“I am in this broken system like everybody else is,” he added.
Talarico joins former US Rep. Colin Allred and former astronaut Terry Virts in the Democratic primary in March 2026. The winner will face a tough Republican opponent in either incumbent US Sen. John Cornyn or Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton.
Allred, who lost to US Sen. Ted Cruz in November, said Talarico entering the race won’t change his focus.
“I’ve never taken anything for granted in life or politics, and this campaign is no exception,” Allred said in a prepared statement. “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.”
Virts, who announced his campaign in June, welcomed Talarico to the race on Monday by denouncing him for supporting transgender people and mischaracterizing trans participation in sports.
“James Talarico’s voting record of allowing biological males to compete against women and girls is a non-starter with voters in Texas,” Virts said in a social media post. “This position is disqualifying and will result in Ken Paxton being elected as the next U.S. Senator from Texas.”
Talarico’s US Senate campaign means he won’t seek a fifth term in the Texas House, where he represents the overwhelmingly Democratic District 50 in Austin. He flipped Republican District 52 in 2018 in his first campaign for a state House seat. GOP redistricting in 2020 made the district more Republican, so Talarico switched to District 50 and won there in 2022.
Talarico kicks off his US Senate campaign with rallies across the state—Tuesday in Round Rock, where he was born; Wednesday in San Antonio; Friday in Fort Bend County; and Saturday in Houston.
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