Tipsheet

Texas Democrats Have a Plan to Beat Ken Paxton: Calling Talarico's Supporters Gay and Transgender

Joseph Chalfant
Joseph Chalfant  |  June 27, 2026 9:45 AM

Democrats are testing a bold new strategy to help elect U.S. Senate candidate James Talarico ahead of November’s General Election, declaring that all of his supporters are actually gay transexuals who are going to Hell.

“Next time they say that James is trans, we’re all trans,” a speaker at the 2026 Texas Democrat State Convention said to explosive cheers on Friday. “When they say that James is a gay, tofu eating vegan, we’re all gay tofu eating vegans. And when they say that James is going to Hell, we’ll say that we’re all going to Hell”

The outlandish statements likely won’t provide much benefit to a trailing Talarico who has been desperate to moderate his radical views as Election Day approaches. A seven figure ad campaign launched by Talarico earlier this week attempted to portray the candidate as a great bipartisan figure for sensible tax reform in the Texas legislature. A cursory fact-check of the spot showed that the only truthful statement in the ad was “I’m James Talarico.”

Instead of leaning into the false messaging pursued by the Talarico campaign, Texas Democrats put their hyper-progressive politics on full display. The convention opened with a land acknowledgement, distributed Plan B “like candy” to attendees, and played host to a sold-out drag show.

Talarico will take on Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton for control of Texas’ Senate seat in one of the most watched races this cycle.