Texas Democratic Senate candidate James Talarico sells ‘Talafreako’ t-shirts
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Democratic Senate candidate James Talarico is fully embracing his “Talafreako” moniker given to him by Republican challenger Ken Paxton, and has even sold T-shirts with the slogan “I’m a Talafreako.”
While speaking at the first election event in Houston this week, Talarico encouraged fans to buy a T-shirt, saying, “I also noticed that Ken Paxton started calling me ‘Talafreako,’ and I’m proud to announce that we have ‘I’m Talafreako’ T-shirts on our website. So, if you’re going home tonight, make sure you grab one.”
After Talarico left the stage, the crowd at the Houston rally started chanting “Talafreako” over and over again.
Despite the courage, some believe that, with Talarico already facing a series of controversial comments, the move will backfire on moderate Texas voters. Talarico’s previous comments included saying that “God is not two,” that there are six genders and that the Bible supports abortion.
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Democratic Senate candidate James Talarico speaks to supporters at a rally in Houston. (F. Carter Smith/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
A strategist familiar with the Senate race noted on Fox News Digital that “Talarico can’t escape his record of supporting every left-wing policy under the sun.”
“Selling merchandise with ‘Talafreako’ on it will remind people that you’re on the wrong side of every 80/20 story,” the strategist said, adding, “It’s very strange.”
Commenting on a clip of Talarico saying in an interview, “I love” transgender children, Sen. Eric Schmitt, R-Mo., posted on X, “Talarico was created by Woke Lab. Finally, that dog won’t hunt.”
Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, now the state’s top senator, wrote in X, “Texas will never elect someone who thinks God is non-binary.”
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Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has received President Donald Trump’s endorsement one week before his runoff election against Republican Sen. John Cornyn in the GOP Senate nomination. (Amanda Macias/Fox News Digital)
Despite this, not everyone believes that accepting Talafreako will backfire. Eric Koch, founder of Downfield Strategies, told Fox News Digital that he “loves it[s]” the Talarico campaign “includes” the jab.
“There were a lot of people wondering if James Talarico could throw in the towel. In the first 24 hours of the general election, James accused Ken Paxton of being the most corrupt politician in the country and called him out for giving the lovers of Epstein’s lover to people who abuse children,” said Koch.
He added that the Democratic candidate could “throw in the towel and make this race a decision between him and Paxton.”
During a rally in Houston, Talarico ripped Paxton as “the most corrupt politician in America,” saying, “He’s been selling us out for years.”
If elected, he promised that his first move in the Senate would be to introduce a “comprehensive anti-corruption package,” which he said would include banning “unlimited contributions” from political party committees and super PACs, as well as banning congressional stock trading, suspending term limits and establishing a national ban on farming. He also said that this package will include a step to “fix” the Supreme Court.
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Talarico held the first election event in Houston the day after Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton won the GOP Senate nomination. (Peter Pinedo/Fox News Digital)
He spoke about some of the criticism that has been leveled at him, saying, “They’re going to throw everything they have at us. They’ve already called me a radical leftist. They’ve already called me a fake Christian. They’ve even called me a vegan. And those are fighting words in the state of Texas.”
“They will call us threatening,” he continued. “The truth that comes out of all those lies is that we are a threat. We are a threat to their corrupt system.”
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Speaking on MS NOW, Talarico asserted, “Ken Paxton has a criminal record. I have an official record.”
He highlighted himself as a congressman, saying, “With more than 4 names in the Texas House of Representatives, I have brought Democrats and Republicans together to pass more than 60 bipartisan bills to lower property taxes, increase teacher pay, lower housing, drug, and child care costs across Texas – and I will write that criminal record twice on Ken Pax Sunday.”
Paxton, on the other hand, has indicated that Talarico has a lot going on, posting on X Thursday that “James Talarico is very powerful in California, let alone Texas.”
Fox News Digital has reached out to the Paxton and Talarico campaigns for further comment.
