James Talarico, the Texas Democratic state representative now running for U.S. Senate, dismissed parental concerns about biological males competing in girls' sports as nothing more than a "far-right conspiracy theory." The comment, unearthed from a 2021 interview with Fox 7 Austin, is only the latest in a growing catalog of progressive positions that make his Senate bid in deep-red Texas look less like a campaign and more like a dare.
During that interview, Talarico accused Republican Gov. Greg Abbott of filling a special legislative session with "far-right conspiracy theories about trans children causing problems on sports teams, which we know does not occur in the state of Texas."
He also waved away concerns about critical race theory in schools, insisting it wasn't being taught in the state, Fox News reported.
His campaign declined to comment.
Talarico didn't just talk. He voted. When Texas passed a bill banning biological males from competing in K-12 girls' sports, he voted against it. When the state expanded that protection to the collegiate level with the "Save Women's Sports Act," he voted against that, too. He also voted against banning sex change surgeries for children, asserting that "gender-affirming care is not child abuse."
On the Texas House floor in 2021, Talarico offered what may be his most memorable contribution to the legislative record:
"God is both masculine and feminine and everything in between. God is non-binary."
That's not policy analysis. That's theology laundered through gender ideology to justify a political position. Texans can judge for themselves whether it holds up.
The sports comments don't exist in isolation. They sit alongside a remarkably consistent body of progressive activism that would struggle to find a home in Austin, let alone statewide.
Talarico co-authored legislation in 2021 to teach DEI in Texas schools. While promoting the bill, he argued that "radicalized White men are the greatest domestic terror threat." He then turned introspective on social media:
"There but for the grace of God go I. As a white man, I'm susceptible to the same radicalization. Thankfully, I was exposed to diversity at a young age and explicitly taught the values of equality, inclusion, and justice. But not every young white boy is so lucky."
Read that again. A sitting state legislator described young white boys as potential domestic terrorists who need ideological intervention. He framed DEI programming not as a curriculum choice but as a prophylactic against violence. And he's now asking Texas voters to send him to Washington.
When a Texas anti-DEI bill took effect, Talarico tweeted that "Texas teachers can't talk about race," calling it "a dark day in our state's history."
Then there's the podcast clip that drew bipartisan mockery. During a 2023 episode of "A Superbloom Podcast," host Candice King asked Talarico a simple icebreaker: what's something you love, other than family and friends? His answer:
"I love, I'm just saying this because it's on my mind, the trans children who showed up yesterday at the state Capitol to advocate for their humanity."
Sen. Tim Sheehy of Montana called him a "creepy goofball." Women's sports activist Riley Gaines was sharper, writing that Talarico "loves 'trans kids' so much that he advocates for them to cut off healthy, functioning body parts. Quite the display of love."
RNC spokesperson Zach Kraft summarized the broader Republican view bluntly:
"Once again, James Talarico is proving that he is a creep who has zero chance of winning in a red state like Texas."
Here's what makes the 2021 "conspiracy theory" line age so poorly. Talarico insisted that biological males in girls' sports "does not occur in the state of Texas." Texas lawmakers looked at the issue, saw a problem worth preventing, and acted. The state passed protections at both the K-12 and collegiate levels. Nationally, the debate has only intensified, with cases making headlines across the country and the Supreme Court weighing in on related questions.
The parents Talarico dismissed as conspiracy theorists turned out to be ahead of the curve. The legislation he voted against became law. The issue he called fake became one of the most potent political fault lines in American life.
Talarico will face either Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton or incumbent Sen. John Cornyn, who are currently locked in a bitter primary runoff. Whichever Republican emerges won't need to do much opposition research. Talarico has been building his opponent's case file for years, one quote at a time.