James Talarico Can Try to Hide It, But He’s a Radical Pro-Abortion Leftist

In the least surprising news since last week’s primaries, Democrats have pulled out their industrial power-washers to try to scrub every trace of ultra-progressivism off their latest hope to retake Texas: Senate candidate James Talarico. But it’ll take a lot more than a routine cleaning to make the 36-year-old radical palatable to the general public. Running to the middle only works without a record. And Talarico’s, his opponent is already proving, cannot be bleached.

In a perfect world, the former middle school English teacher would have taken James Carville’s advice on political extremism: “Don’t run on it, don’t talk about it, just do it” once you’re in power. But Talarico did talk about it. And talk about. And talk about it — “righteously babbling ultra-woke slop” for years.

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Now that it’s primetime, the self-described “devout Christian” is trying to walk back some of his comments that scream unhinged heretic. Things like “God is non-binary.” “There are many more than two biological sexes. In fact, there are six.” White people are “spreading the virus of racism. We don’t have to be showing symptoms — like a white hood or a Confederate flag — to be contagious.” “The American flag is a complicated symbol for most of us.” “It is now existential that we try to reduce our meat consumption.” “The Bible is silent on abortion.”

These aren’t the positions of your garden-variety moderate. Talarico has ranted against the existence of Christian schools, protested the Ten Commandments in classrooms, argued that Jesus was a feminist, declared himself the first “non-meat campaign,” bragged about being the first state representative’s office to add pronouns to staffers’ business cards, and called men in girls’ sports a “far-right conspiracy.” If it’s a fringe opinion, he’s held it.

Twenty-four hours after he became the nominee, the young candidate was on an “I didn’t mean it!” tour, expressing sudden contrition for his outrageous remarks. Asked on CBS what he meant when he said “God is non-binary,” Talarico replied, “I was being intentionally provocative with that statement, but what it means is that God can’t be defined by human categories. The Apostle Paul, in his letter to the Galatians, says that in Christ there is neither male nor female.”

So, Ed O’Keefe pressed, does Talarico regret “talking about God that way?” The Presbyterian seminarian (whose classes are currently on hold) said, “There are some statements that I’ve made that I certainly regret. There are statements that I’ve made where I’ve missed the mark. I’ll be the first to admit that, but Ken Paxton is intentionally clipping my cringy comments…” he tried to explain.

“Do you still believe there are six biological sexes?” O’Keefe wanted to know. Talarico answered, “I know there are two sexes, men and women. I also know there’s a very small percentage of people who have these chromosomal abnormalities, and I believe they deserve to be treated with dignity and respect.”

Unlike Virginia Governor Abigail Spanberger (D), who ran as a centrist mom and now governs like a rabid leftist, Talarico is in Texas, which, despite Democrats’ legitimate inroads, isn’t a purple state. “About 67% of Texas adults identify as Christian, including large evangelical and Catholic communities,” according to Pew Research Center. “That’s going to be a problem in Texas, and it’s going to be a problem for a lot of Christian voters, whether you’re a Latino, black, or white, they don’t agree with that interpretation of the faith and of Christianity,” CNN political analyst Nia-Malika Henderson acknowledged. “He’s a vulnerable candidate in Texas.”

FRC Action Director Matt Carpenter agreed, telling The Washington Stand, “Talarico is attempting to run the same play Abigail Spanberger ran in Virginia last year. After demonstrating your progressive bona fides in the primary, recalibrate to a moderate message for the general election in the hopes of winning enough votes from the center to win, and then govern as a progressive. It’s a well-worn path for progressive candidates, and a cynical one at that,” he underscored.

“Unfortunately for Talarico, he will have a very difficult time doing so because, although Texas is trending toward becoming more competitive than it has been historically, it is not nearly as liberal as Virginia,” Carpenter reminded people, “and he has an extensive record of statements affirming the most progressive stance on issues like performing gender transition procedures on minors, medicating them for life and often sterilizing them, defunding pro-life initiatives and consistently supporting abortion, which places him diametrically opposite the majority of Texas voters.”

The man who said the thing he loves most apart from his family is “trans kids” will have a tough time connecting to Lone Star families — but he is trying. Hours after the primaries, he took a stab at outreach to the disappointed Republicans who voted for incumbent Senator John Cornyn (R-Texas). “You have a place in our campaign,” he said to the voters who might not be thrilled with GOP candidate and current state Attorney General Ken Paxton (R).

“I have a legislative record that I think has a lot to offer supporters of Senator Cornyn. Ken Paxton has a criminal record. I have a legislative record,” Talarico insisted to Politico, adding that during his time in the state legislature, he’s worked with Republicans on things like taxes and teachers’ pay. “I’ve called out the extremes in both parties, on the Right and Left, and as you know, called out President Biden for failing to secure our southern border. I’ve pushed back against national Democrats who want to hurt the Texas oil and gas industry, and so I think that Texans are looking for a senator who is going to be independent, who’s not going to serve a political party, not going to serve any special interests or megadonors, but who’s going to serve people of Texas.”

But bridge-building doesn’t work if you don’t have any materials. Talarico claims Cornyn voters have a place in his camp, but do they really? Has he backed off his extremist views in any substantive ways — or is he just trusting that skeptical voters will believe his sudden and convenient transformation?

“Mercifully,” the editors at National Review write, “there is not one American in ten thousand who talks like this, or who has ever talked like this. In Texas, that number is lower still. Such sentiments are bizarre,” they warn, “and indicative of a polluted mind.”

To win this job, Democrats need an excellent actor. Spanberger’s performance was Oscar-worthy, but then, she didn’t have a feature film’s worth of lunacy following her around. And while the party has been exceptionally good at lying and fundraising, eventually voters will take you at your word. In Talarico’s case, there are plenty.

LifeNews Note: Suzanne Bowdey serves as editorial director and senior writer at The Washington Stand, where this originally appeared.