AUSTIN, Texas — James Talarico’s hometown church is stepping up security efforts as the congressman’s campaign to represent Texas in the U.S. Senate continues.
In a post on Facebook this week, St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church pastor Jim Rigby said the church has temporarily hired plainclothes security as a safety precaution in response to what it calls “hostile press” and “negative communication.”
“We want you to know your safety is very important to us, and we are doing all we can to protect you,” the post read.
Rigby went on to say that church elders will continue to monitor the situation to find a long-term solution.
Talarico — the son of a Baptist preacher and a seminarian himself — said in a 2023 guest sermon that he has been attending the North Austin church since he was 2 years old. Throughout his political career, he has consistently denounced Christian nationalism and promoted the separation of church and state.
Now that Talarico is Texas’ Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate, a May runoff will decide whether his opponent will be incumbent Sen. John Cornyn or Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton. Both Republican lawmakers await an endorsement from President Donald Trump.