Texas Senator Ted Cruz is turning up the heat on Democratic Senate candidate James Talarico as the increasingly competitive race for the state’s open Senate seat heads toward November. Cruz is being accused of circulating some of Talarico’s most controversial-sounding remarks to argue that the Democrat is far more progressive than the image he’s presenting to Texas voters.
Among other things, Cruz attacked Talarico over past remarks describing God as “both masculine and feminine, and everything in between,” his claim that there are six biological sexes, his comparison of the southern border to a front porch with “a welcome mat out front and a lock on the door,” and comments Cruz characterized as supporting the dismantling of capitalism.
The attacks come as Republicans face an unusually competitive statewide race in Texas, with some recent polls showing Talarico leading Paxton and major race forecasters treating the contest as competitive.
In an NBC Meet the Press clip, Ted Cruz can be heard saying about Ken Paxton, “He is a strong conservative who is going to fight for low taxes, low regulations, lots of jobs, to secure the border, to support law enforcement, and to protect our constitutional rights. That’s what Texans want, that’s what we believe in.”
Texas has been under complete Republican control since 2003. According to statistics from the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, state tax collections in Texas have steadily risen from $8,000 million to almost $27,000 million over that period, with no signs of falling.
Talarico’s comments about gender have become a particularly frequent Republican attack line, although the context behind them has also become part of the argument. Critics of Cruz’s characterization have pointed to the context of Talarico’s remarks. During a 2021 legislative debate, Talarico was questioning how a proposed school sports law would apply to intersex children with chromosomal variations that don’t neatly fit typical biological classifications.
Comments and Reactions to Ted Cruz’s Attack on James Talarico
Some commenters weren’t convinced by Cruz’s presentation of Talarico’s record, with one commenter disputing Cruz’s characterization of the remarks, writing, “Every one of these is a clipped quote doing a lot of dishonest work. The six genders line was Talarico asking a bill author how his sports law would handle intersex kids, children born with chromosome variations, which is a real thing that exists whether or not it fits on a bumper sticker. The God is nonbinary comment was a theological point straight out of Galatians, neither male nor female in Christ, which is why he keeps saying take it up with the Apostle Paul. And dismantle capitalism is a fragment from a sermon about loving people over money, from a guy whose actual platform is cutting taxes for working Texans. You are running against a seminary student by editing his sentences, which tells everyone you cannot beat the full quotes. That ain’t Texas either, that’s just Paxton’s PAC doing your homework…“
Others turned their attention away from Talarico entirely and toward Cruz’s own record in Texas. One particularly angry commenter wrote, “Do you have anything policy wise to brag about, instead of hate and division and fear mongering? What kind of gutter politics is this?”
With the Texas Senate contest now drawing national attention and Republicans openly warning about the possibility of losing ground in their longtime stronghold, Cruz’s attacks make clear that neither side is treating Talarico’s candidacy as an afterthought anymore.
