James Talarico faces GOP attacks after Texas Senate primary win

Austin, Texas – Republicans did not wait for the call Democratic Senate Primary Election In Texas to target James Tallarico, the Democratic nominee in the high-stakes midterm battle.

Hours before the Associated Press announced early Wednesday that Talarico, a Democratic state lawmaker with a growing national profile, had defeated Rep. Jasmine Crockett, a nationally known politician and progressive firebrand, Republicans wasted no time in portraying Talarico as a “far-left extremist.”

Tallarico, a 36-year-old former middle school teacher, is trying to become the first Democrat in nearly four decades to win a Senate election in the right-leaning state of Texas. The winner will face the May 26 Republican primary runoff between incumbent Sen. John Cornyn and Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton.

Democratic Senate candidate state Rep. James Tallarico speaks to supporters on primary election night, in Austin, Texas, on March 3, 2026. (Paul Steinhauser/Fox News)

Senate this year Showdown in Texas She is one of the few across the country who can determine whether Republicans will maintain their majority in the chamber in the midterm elections. The GOP currently controls the chamber 53-47.

“James Talarico is an open borders, Trump-hating radical who can never be allowed in the US Senate.” National Republican Senatorial Committee Communications Director Joanna Rodriguez made the accusation in a statement Tuesday evening.

The Texas Republican Senate primary is heading to overtime

Paxton, in a first-night speech in Dallas, claimed that Tallarico is “a far-left radical who wants to abolish ICE, says God is nonbinary — I’m not even sure I know what that means — and believes Christians are commanded to put boys in girls’ sports. He will do nothing more than be a puppet of Chuck Schumer and the national Democrats.”

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, Republican Senate candidate, speaks to supporters at a campaign event on the eve of the primary, in Waco, Texas on March 2, 2026. (Paul Steinhauser/Fox News)

In an interview with Fox News Digital on Sunday, Cornyn said that both Talarico and Crockett “should be running for Senate in California, not Texas. They are far from the mainstream in Texas.”

Round 2 of Cornyn vs. Paxton hits the road

A veteran Republican operative working in Senate races described Tallarico as “Beto 2.0,” and also referred to former Democratic Rep. Beto O’Rourke, a one-time rising star who failed as a 2018 Democratic Senate candidate in his attempt to beat conservative Sen. Ted Cruz, and who later ran unsuccessfully for the White House and for Texas governor.

Senator John Cornyn, Republican of Texas, speaks during a campaign event in The Woodlands, Texas, Saturday, February 28, 2026. (Annie Mulligan/AP Photo)

“Republicans know that Talarico is a tremendous candidate, but they also know that Texas is still a very conservative state, and they will try to paint him as a far-left extremist so that center-right voters and independent voters in the state don’t choose him over the Republican nominee,” Brendan Steinhauser, a longtime Texas-based GOP consultant, told Fox News Digital.

He added: “Republicans will find that every speech Tallarico gave on the Texas House floor was inherently progressive or left-wing, and they will use that over and over again to try to paint him as a far-left guy. That’s the kind of playbook I expect, and they won’t waste any time doing that.”

Tallarico, who was first elected to the Texas House in 2018 by flipping a red district in Northeast Austin and surrounding suburbs, highlighted his ability to win over Republican voters. He campaigned throughout the state, including areas where Democratic candidates don’t often show up. He questioned whether Crockett could run a competitive general election campaign.

While Tallarico has outspent and outspent Crockett over the past two months, he has portrayed himself as the underdog in the primary battle against the more popular congresswoman.

Rep. Jasmine Crockett, D-Texas, a Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate, speaks during a primary election observation ceremony on Tuesday, March 3, 2026, in Dallas. (Tony Gutierrez/AP Photo)

The two-term Crockett, who primarily represents majority black and Latino neighborhoods in Dallas and the surrounding inner suburbs south of the city, has attracted much attention for her clashes with Republicans on the high-level House Oversight Committee, including one with then-Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene from Georgia in 2024 which went viral.

She also made headlines last year for calling out the longtime Republican governor. Greg Abbott Texas “Governor Hot Wheels.”

Talarico, who is open about his faith and how it shapes his progressive political agenda, last year began attracting national attention through a slew of social media appearances that went viral. His profile has also been boosted by his TikTok videos, which have racked up millions of views, and an appearance last July on Joe Rogan’s top-rated podcast.

During the interview, Rogan suggested that Talarico run for president.

A month later, Tallarico was a regular on network news, giving dozens of interviews to national media outlets, as he and dozens of fellow Texas House Democrats fled the state for weeks, to delay an eventual Trump-led redistricting drive in Texas to create as many as five more right-leaning congressional seats.

Tallarico launched his Senate campaign a month later, in September.

State Rep. James Tallarico shakes hands with supporters at his primary night celebration, on March 3, 2026, in Austin, Texas. (Paul Steinhauser/Fox News)

Last month, Talarcio gained more national attention with his appearance “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” It was taken from the television broadcast and instead appeared on YouTube. Colbert accused his network, CBS, of blocking the interview by citing FCC guidelines.

The controversy appeared to buoy Tallarico, as his campaign said they received $2.5 million in fundraising in the 24 hours “following his censored interview.”

“Talarico has spent years fighting for Texans in the state House, where he has gone to fight for teachers and students, fought to lower the cost of health care, and confronted corruption in politics,” Democratic Senate Campaign Committee Chairwoman Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand said Wednesday. “And now, he’s ready to take that fight to the U.S. Senate.”

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Talarico was praised by the center and left of his party.

“Talarico’s victory shows that voters are hungry for Democrats to boldly fight for workers, hold corporations accountable, and improve the quality of life — not just run against Donald Trump. Speaking to voters, it’s clear that both are inspired by Talarico’s economic-populist message, and Adam Green, co-founder of the Progressive Change Campaign Committee, believes he can win the general election.”

Adam Jentleson, president of the center-left Searchlight Institute, said Tallarico’s win “marked a refreshing break from the past of running on division and polarization, and an embrace of candidates who can unite broad swaths of Americans behind the big tent, supermajority coalition we need.”

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