Texas Rep. James Talarico will mount a Democratic bid for US Senate, sources tell CNN

Texas state Rep. James Talarico is poised to launch his campaign for US Senate in the coming days, joining the Democratic primary in a state the party hopes will emerge as competitive in next year’s midterm elections, two sources familiar with his plans told CNN.

Talarico will vie for the seat of Republican Sen. John Cornyn, who faces his own pitched primary battle against state Attorney General Ken Paxton.

The Democratic primary already includes former US Rep. Colin Allred, the party’s 2024 Senate nominee. Former US Rep. Beto O’Rourke, who broke fundraising records with his stronger than expected 2018 Senate run, has also said he is considering another run.

A Talarico adviser declined to comment on his plans.

Talarico, the 36-year-old pastor who represents the northern Austin suburbs in the Texas House, has rocketed into the public eye this year. His videos opposing Republicans’ efforts to require schools to display the Ten Commandments went viral and earned him an appearance on Joe Rogan’s podcast.

“I think of politics now less as left versus right, and much more as top versus bottom. I just see how we are all pitted against each other,” he told Rogan. “If we recognize that we have far more in common than the stuff that divides us, that’s a threat to their power. It’s a threat to their wealth. That unity — loving your enemy — is not just morally good, it’s not just idealistic, it’s good strategic advice.”

Talarico impressed Rogan enough for the podcaster to tell him: “You need to run for president.”

He became a public face of the 15-day boycott that Texas House Democrats mounted to stall the GOP’s effort to redraw the state’s congressional maps to add five more Republican-leaning districts. The state Democrats caused one special legislative session to expire but returned for a second session in which Republicans enacted the new maps.

Texas has long been a reliably red state. No Democrat has won statewide there since 1994, and Trump won there by more than 13 points in 2024.

However, Democrats are eyeing the GOP primary between Cornyn and Paxton as a potential opportunity. Paxton, whose wife filed for divorce “on biblical grounds” in July and alleged infidelity in court documents, is viewed as a much weaker general election candidate by Democrats even as he remains popular with much of Trump’s base.

Democrats need a net gain of four seats to win control of the Senate next year. Their top target is North Carolina, where the Republican incumbent is retiring. Party officials hope some combination of Maine, Ohio, Iowa and Texas, all seats held by Republicans, will also emerge as competitive races.