Republicans have reportedly targeted Texas Senate candidate James Talarico’s church, calling it a “woke Austin church.” The news did not sit well with Talarico supporters, who believe that Texas Republicans are afraid of him and that this is why they keep attacking the candidate.
According to a recent report from Advocate, Republicans have already “falsely called Talarico transgender, vegan, and questioned whether he has a real girlfriend,” and are now targeting the church he attends. In a new article published by the Republican-aligned Daily Wire, St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church is accused of being “woke” due to its focus on social justice, support for organizations such as Planned Parenthood, and efforts to draw attention to the AIDS epidemic during the 1990s.
The Daily Wire’s report also attempts to link the church to the Lilith Fund, which helps women seeking abortion services access assistance outside of Texas, where abortion is largely illegal. However, no official ties to the organization are shown on the church’s website.
Texas Voters React to Republicans’ Recent Attacks on Talarico
Commenting on the news on Reddit’s r/Texas, multiple voters criticized the Republican Party for resorting to this kind of tactic. One user said, “MAGA is very afraid of James Talarico. They can’t find fault with his policies, so they have to make [expletive] up about him.” Another person agreed: “Fake Christians hate nothing more than a real Christian.”
Others criticized Talarico’s opponent, Ken Paxton. According to one commenter, “Paxton doesn’t have anything to actually run on. He has no policy beyond doing what Trump wants, so the only thing he has left is mudslinging. It’s pathetic.” Someone else also criticized the politician, saying, “On that note, does Ken Paxton even attend a church? Knowing more about it might provide some clues as to why Paxton so smugly breaks the Ten Commandments listed on the posters he forced into public school classrooms.”
Overall, users seemed irritated that Talarico was being “attacked” because of his popularity. One commenter joked, “Next, they’ll attack his dog.”
The Senate race in Texas is heating up, and it will be decided in the midterm elections in November. Most Texas Senate polls currently put Talarico ahead of Paxton in the race.
