Polling Average
50%40%30%20%10%0%
39.2%
44.7%
35.3%
35.1%
Loading candidate profile
Loading candidate profile
Loading candidate profile
Loading candidate profile
$88.0M
NOV 7, 2028Primary Election
Party selects its nominee.
Current roleState Representative
PartyDemocratic
Political ideologyProgressive Democrat
Age36 years old (May 17, 1989)
GenderMale
LocationTexas
BackgroundPolitician
EducationB.A., University of Texas at Austin
Notable personal detailsJames Dell Talarico is an American politician, former middle school teacher, and Presbyterian seminarian. He has served in the Texas House of Representatives since 2019 and represents House District 50. Talarico earned degrees from the University of Texas at Austin and Harvard University, and has been a Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate in Texas in the 2026 cycle.
Supports significantly higher taxes on the wealthiest Americans and large corporations, closing loopholes (including carried interest and “buy, borrow, die”), raising capital gains and corporate tax rates, and using increased revenue to cut taxes for working families and expand supports (wages, Social Security protections, prescription drug and cost-of-living relief).
Supports expanding government-backed coverage by making Medicare buy-in or a public option available and expanding Medicare access; emphasizes lowering prescription drug costs (including capping insulin copays and importing drugs) and treating health care as a human right. Has a legislative record on prescription-cost reforms and protections for Medicaid.
Supports comprehensive immigration reform that expands legal pathways and a pathway to citizenship for longtime residents while also strengthening border security against cartels and criminal actors. Proposes asylum-system improvements (more immigration judges, root out fraud, speed legitimate protections), modernizing ports of entry, guest-worker and employer-sponsorship programs with labor protections, and targeted enforcement against gangs and traffickers rather than broad deportation of immigrants.
Supports restoring and protecting reproductive freedom at the federal level, including federal legislation to codify Roe v. Wade and protections for access to contraception and IVF; opposes Texas’s near-total abortion ban and frames abortion access as a matter of bodily autonomy and public health.
Supports federal incentives and investments to expand renewable energy and grid resilience, endorses emissions-reduction planning and climate preparedness, and advocates for diversified energy innovation while maintaining transitional fossil fuel roles.
James Talarico has won the Texas Democratic nomination for the 2026 U.S. Senate race and is now positioning for a competitive general election as Republicans head to a Cornyn–Paxton runoff. He is pushing to broaden his coalition, including outreach to Black voters, while also rebutting Republican attacks such as claims that he supports defunding the police. Talarico has drawn attention for high-profile statements on immigration and religious inclusivity, and for a public dispute with a pastor whose remarks were widely debated as a threat, which he answered with a message of compassion.
Endorsers of James Talarico for Texas Democratic Senate nominee?
Former elected official
Former Vice President Kamala Harris endorsed James Talarico for U.S. Senate in Texas after he became the Democratic nominee.
Former elected official
Former Vice President Kamala Harris endorsed James Talarico for U.S. Senate in Texas after he became the Democratic nominee.
Public endorsement
Texas State Sen. Roland Gutierrez (D) endorsed James Talarico for U.S. Senate in Texas.
Elected official
Texas State Senator Sarah Eckhardt endorsed James Talarico for U.S. Senate in Texas.
Elected official
Texas State Senator Roland Gutierrez endorsed James Talarico for U.S. Senate in Texas.
2026
LatestCycle 2026
Supports expanded background checks for private firearm transfers and has sponsored/co-sponsored legislation to require national instant background checks; supports reforms to policing and measures to improve public safety in schools.