Democratic Senate nominee James Talarico has cultivated a moderate image in his bid to unseat Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton — but a review of his campaign’s job postings tells a different story, with listings that specifically prioritized transgender and non-white applicants.
Past Talarico campaigns have repeatedly urged minority candidates to apply for open positions, according to listings reviewed by the Daily Caller. One posting read plainly: “Women, people of color, and LGBTQIA+ applicants are strongly encouraged to apply.” Critics say the pattern undercuts Talarico’s attempt to present himself as a centrist and reveals a campaign still fully committed to progressive diversity, equity and inclusion priorities.
Talarico hasn’t exactly hidden it, either. He’s openly bragged about running a majority-female, majority-minority staff, and has taken shots at rival candidates he accuses of taking minority voters for granted. Speaking to the Houston Black American Democrats in November, Talarico acknowledged his own background bluntly: “I recognize that I’m a white boy from Round Rock, and I’ve got blind spots. And it’s why we are building a campaign team that looks like Texas.” He added that his senior staff is majority minority and majority women, and touted major investments in direct mail, door-knocking, Black media and faith outreach.
The comments didn’t stop there. In an August appearance, Talarico admitted that younger staffers on his team have grown skeptical of Christianity itself, saying it clashes with their progressive values. “I have seen how Christianity has been perverted in this country over the last 50 years by the religious right,” Talarico said, adding that some of his Gen Z staffers now equate Christianity with being “anti-gay, anti-science, anti-woman” — a characterization he insisted isn’t the faith he grew up with.
The revelations land in the middle of a fiercely contested Senate race against Paxton, with DEI itself shaping up as a flashpoint. Polling from the University of Texas shows the state is nearly split on the issue: about 43 percent of residents support banning diversity, equity and inclusion policies and programs in K-12 public schools, while 44 percent oppose such bans and 12 percent have no opinion.
Whether Talarico’s campaign hiring practices become a bigger issue heading into the general election remains to be seen, but the disconnect between his carefully managed centrist messaging and his campaign’s own words and actions is already giving Republicans fresh ammunition in one of the country’s most closely watched Senate races.
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