By Helen Coster
June 3 (Reuters) - Even before all the votes had been counted in last week's Republican Senate primary in Texas, party members began rolling out attacks on the Democratic candidate, James Talarico.
Talarico “wants to trans your kids,” Texas congressman Brandon Gill wrote on May 22 on X. Days later, White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller falsely claimed Talarico himself was “transgender.” Attack ads circulated online highlighting controversial old quotes from the state representative
and seminarian and dismissing him as a “woke weirdo.”
With Republicans increasingly on the defensive over high gas prices and an unpopular war in Iran, they are returning to safer ideological terrain ahead of the November midterm elections – homing in on gender identity and other cultural wedge issues in a race that will help determine whether they retain control of the U.S. Congress.
Some of the attacks are specific to Talarico, 37, a rising star in the Democratic Party who speaks frequently about how his progressive policy positions are rooted in his Christian faith. Others are tailored to Texas, which hasn’t sent a Democrat to the Senate since 1988.
But political operatives say the strategy comes from a broader Republican playbook that helped the party make nationwide gains in the 2024 election cycle, and which they hope will allow them to weather headwinds across the country in 2026.
The stakes are enormous: Democrats face a narrow and difficult path to reclaiming the Senate, but a win in Texas would likely give them a real shot. And Democratic strategists view the Republican candidate, state Attorney General Ken Paxton, as an unusually weak candidate saddled with the baggage of corruption scandals and marital infidelities.
A poll released on Friday by Texas Public Opinion Research showed the two candidates locked in a tight race, with Talarico leading Paxton 47% to 44% among likely voters.
Strategists say Talarico’s campaign is an early test for Democrats of how to navigate a familiar dilemma: responding to culturally charged attacks without being defined by them, or alienating key constituencies.
“Republicans need to mobilize voters,” said Daron Shaw, a professor of politics at the University of Texas at Austin and a member of the bipartisan Fox News polling team. “Painting Talarico as just unacceptable to Texas voters,” isn’t simply a play for the base, he said, but will be “targeted at non-MAGA Republicans and independents.”
RELITIGATING THE PAST
So far, Talarico has emphasized economic issues and accused Republicans of trying to relitigate “old, tired culture war fights.” He acknowledged in an interview with CBS that some past remarks “missed the mark,” including a 2021 statement that “God is nonbinary.” But his campaign has also leaned into the criticism, selling “I’m a Talafreako” T-shirts to supporters.
“This is how puppet politicians like Ken Paxton stay in power,” Talarico told Reuters, when asked about the attacks at a campaign stop in San Antonio on Friday. "They divide us by party, by race, by gender, by religion, by culture ... And I think Texans are done being divided.”
The Paxton campaign did not respond to a Reuters request for comment. Samantha Cantrell, a spokeswoman for the National Republican Senatorial Committee, the party’s Senate campaign arm, said it was important for Texans to know Talarico's position on issues.
“Saying that God is non-binary is a very, very radical leftist viewpoint,” she said.
Yemisi Egbewole, a Democratic strategist and former adviser to President Joe Biden, praised Talarico for his direct approach to countering the attacks.
"He just addressed straight to camera across multiple outlets that his comments were cringe, and characterized himself as being a bit provocative,” she said. “I think you've just got to knock it out of the way, right away.”
Other Democratic candidates should take note, Egbewole and other strategists said, as Republicans seek to shift the conversation away from pocketbook issues. Polls show a clear majority of Americans are dissatisfied with President Donald Trump’s handling of the economy, usually an area of strength for him and his party.
'WHAT DO YOU STAND FOR?'
The appeal to cultural traditionalism is especially resonant in Texas, a deeply religious state and a cradle of the U.S. conservative movement. “James Talarico is a threat to our values, our way of life, and the future of Texas,” Paxton posted on X on Saturday.
“This is a fight about: Is Talarico a nontraditional Democrat who would be acceptable to God-fearing people in East Texas?” Shaw said. “Or is he the kind of left-wing, progressive, mask-wearing, vegan wannabe who appeals to Austin intellectuals?”
One repeated line of attack from Republicans - including Paxton and Trump - has been to falsely claim Talarico is vegan, in a bid to cast him as un-Texan. Talarico has hit back saying he has been eating barbecue since before Paxton's first indictment.
Exploiting cultural issues, especially the debate over transgender rights, worked for Republicans in 2024. One of the most effective attack ads included the line: "Kamala is for they/them, President Trump is for you," highlighting remarks by Democratic nominee Kamala Harris about support for tax-funded gender-affirming care for prisoners.
“Those are frankly the things that stick the most with voters,” said Egbewole, saying Democrats need to do a better job of communicating their own values to ordinary voters. “They just want to know: What do you stand for?”
(Reporting by Helen Coster in New York. Additional reporting by Joel Angel Juarez in San Antonio, editing by Jesse Mesner-Hage and Deepa Babington)
