In the latest episode of “Watch James Talarico Run From His Past,” Texas state Rep. James Talarico has scrubbed mentions of his past controversial positions on a variety of issues.
Ever since Talarico won the Democratic Senate nomination, his past statements on gender ideology and progressive policy have dogged his campaign. But he didn’t do it fast enough to keep the Washington Free Beacon from noticing.
The outlet reported that his homepage used to say he was “not afraid to stand up to Republican extremism” and boasted about leading “the fight against their efforts to bully trans kids, ban books, whitewash our history curriculum, gut public education with a private school voucher scam, and force their Christian nationalist agenda onto the people of Texas.”
He also scrubbed the section where he is presented as a champion of “Bold, Progressive Legislation.”
James Talarico scrubbed “trans kids,” “bold progressive ideas,” and the word “progressive” from his website ahead of his Senate run.
— Kambree (@KamVTV) June 23, 2026
If your record is so great, why are you hiding it? Texans deserve the real Talarico, not the campaign makeover versionhttps://t.co/vRANjR63Hs
Yet, an archived version of the site from August 2025 still has his own words on the record.
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"I'm committed to building momentum for bold, progressive ideas—no matter how long it takes," he wrote. "I've introduced ambitious legislation to give every Texas teacher a $15,000 raise, legalize marijuana, combat climate change, and repeal anti-union laws that keep workers from organizing."
The campaign remade the site in early September when Talarico launched his Senate campaign. The updated homepage touts his record fighting “billionaire mega-donors” rather than “Republican extremism.”
The “Meet James Talarico” section now discusses his efforts to “expand job opportunities for young adults” instead of fighting for “trans kids.”
The word “progressive” was scrubbed from the site ostensibly to conceal the fact that he’s the equivalent of a California Democrat running in a red state.
Talarico won the Democratic nomination in March. Since then, he has spent much of his campaign trying to walk back or soften earlier positions that don’t go over well with the average Texan. During an interview with CBS News last month, he described his comment arguing that “God is non-binary” as “cringey” and said it “missed the mark.”
He also contended that he opposes “gender-affirming” surgeries for minors suffering from gender dysphoria. Yet, in the past, he fought against bills that would ban these treatments for children.
Now, Talarico has pivoted away from the trans topic to issues Americans actually care about. He recently dropped a campaign ad discussing how Texans are “drowning” in rising costs for groceries, gas, and healthcare. But, as his opponent Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton pointed out, he has voted against major tax relief for residents, showing he’s more concerned about government welfare than the public’s wellbeing.
The most recent polls show a tight contest between Talarico and Paxton. The latest University of Texas/Texas Politics Project poll showed Paxton leading Talarico 43 percent to 42 percent.
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