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Texas state Rep., and Democratic Senate candidate, Rep. James Talarico addressed a campaign rally in Plano, Monday, June 1, 2026.<\/p>\n
Smiley N. Pool\/The Dallas Morning News<\/p>\n
AUSTIN \u2013 James Talarico\u2019s<\/a> supporters wear T-shirts emblazoned with a direct reference to the Bible: \u201cIt\u2019s time to start flipping tables.\u201d<\/p>\n The slogan refers to the story of Jesus overturning the tables of merchants and money changers at the temple in Jerusalem.<\/p>\n In Texas politics, Christian Scripture has often been the language of Republican campaigns.\u00a0Talarico, the Democrat running for the U.S. Senate<\/a>, has made it a defining feature of his own.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n It\u2019s a faith that has led some Republicans to accuse him of warping Christianity<\/a> to fit a progressive agenda. His conservative critics have said he is too liberal to represent Texas. Some have even called him blasphemous.<\/p>\n Talarico, a state representative from Austin, says faith does not belong to one party. That argument could reverberate throughout the campaign as both sides make competing moral cases for their vision of Texas.<\/p>\n \u201cFaith is not about left versus right, it’s about right versus wrong,\u201d\u00a0Talarico said in an interview. \u00a0<\/p>\n In the November election, Talarico faces Republican Attorney General Ken Paxton<\/a> in a race that has already been shaped by\u00a0candidate character<\/a>. Paxton, who defeated GOP stalwart Sen. John Cornyn in a runoff, has faced fraud charges, impeachment and allegations of marital infidelity<\/a>. \u00a0<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n A recent visit to Talarico\u2019s home church and the seminary where he studied provided a glimpse into how important his Christian faith has been to his upbringing and worldview: He has often grounded his political stances in faith and Christian Scripture \u00a0\u2013 whether it be on economic issues, immigration, abortion or transgender rights.<\/p>\n In an interview with The Dallas Morning News,\u00a0Talarico pushed back on people who say he embodies a \u201cprogressive Christianity,\u201d saying he is uncomfortable with the political qualifier.<\/p>\n \u201cToo often in American Christianity, on both sides of the aisle,” he said, “people are baptizing their partisanship and calling it Christianity.”<\/p>\n Talarico said faith and service to others are \u201cintertwined\u201d for him, a concept emphasized at the Presbyterian institutions that helped to shape his faith.<\/p>\n Related: Talarico faces Senate test to win over Black voters after defeating Crockett<\/a><\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary in Austin, Monday, May, 4, 2026. (Stephen Spillman)<\/p>\n Stephen Spillman\/Special Contributor<\/p>\n Who is James Talarico?<\/p>\n Talarico grew up in an Austin Presbyterian church and is working toward a master of divinity degree from Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary.<\/p>\n Elected to the Texas House in 2018,\u00a0Talarico said he opposes Christian nationalism, a wide-encompassing term that represents a spectrum of beliefs, but typically boils down to the idea that the U.S. was founded as a Christian nation and should be today. \u00a0<\/p>\n He has criticized the religious right, saying it\u2019s not doing enough to focus on issues affecting the poor.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Shelton Chapel on the campus of Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary in Austin, Monday, May, 4, 2026. (Stephen Spillman)<\/p>\n Stephen Spillman\/Special Contributor<\/p>\n Talarico said his faith has been defined his whole life by a key tenet in Christian teaching: to love God and your neighbor as yourself. \u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cTo love God, that’s the faith part, and love neighbor, which is the service part,\u201d Talarico said.<\/p>\n He referenced the parable of the Good Samaritan and argued the parable is not just an encouragement to help those in need, but to help the enemy, the outsider and the outcast. (Samaritans in Biblical times were an ethnoreligious group at odds with the Jewish people).<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s as if Jesus stood in the middle of Darrell\u00a0K\u00a0Royal Memorial Stadium [at the University of Texas] and told a story called \u2018The Good Aggie,\u2019\u201d Talarico said.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n St. Andrew\u2019s Presbyterian Church in Austin, Sunday, May, 3, 2026. (Stephen Spillman)<\/p>\n Stephen Spillman\/Special Contributor<\/p>\n In America today,\u00a0Talarico said loving your neighbor means doing so through disagreements. He said that is how his campaign is seeking to reach a wide audience, something he is trying to do as he faces general election voters.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cTo me, that\u2019s a very Christian way to act politically,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n He recognized that Christians come to different conclusions when reading the Bible, but argued against Christian nationalism, saying the New Testament displays a consistent suspicion of political power. He referenced a Biblical story in which the devil tempts Jesus with \u201call the kingdoms of the world.\u201d \u00a0<\/p>\n The grandson of a Baptist preacher,\u00a0Talarico started attending St. Andrew\u2019s Presbyterian Church with his mother when she started dating his adoptive father. Talarico still attends St. Andrew\u2019s.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n \u00a0The church values putting faith into action, he said.<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s the kind of faith a lot of people are looking for,\u201d he said. \u201cBecause we\u2019re all used to the\u00a0performative faith.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Julia Martinez works in the Field of Hope outside of St. Andrew\u2019s Presbyterian Church in Austin, Sunday, May, 3, 2026. As the Field of Hope team lead Martinez one of her duties is to maintain the look of the crosses in the field that are intended to represent a variety of social issues the church feels need more attention. (Stephen Spillman)<\/p>\n Stephen Spillman\/Special Contributor<\/p>\n A \u201clineage\u201d of social justice at St. Andrew\u2019s Presbyterian Church<\/p>\n On a recent Sunday at St. Andrew\u2019s, congregants flocked to the church for morning service.\u00a0Sunday service started with announcements: Volunteers were needed to help repair houses. Pastor Jim\u00a0Rigby pulled out a guitar and sang for children\u2019s ministry. A puppet show taught children the message: \u201cEvery being can be our teacher if we can listen and learn.\u201d \u00a0<\/p>\n The Scripture reading for the day was Hebrews 6 from the Inclusive Bible, a 2009 English translation that replaces masculine language, especially when used to refer to God, with nouns that are not gendered.<\/p>\n Use of the \u201cInclusive Bible\u201d drew from the idea that God must be \u201ctranscendent beyond gender,\u201d\u00a0Rigby said in an interview. The translation is inspired by a New Testament verse in Galatians: \u201cIn Christ there is neither male nor female,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \u201cSt. Andrew\u2019s has always done this work of showing up and speaking on issues even if it\u2019s not popular to speak about them,\u201d said Julia Martinez, who leads a protest art installation project at the church. \u201cIt really is part of the lineage here.\u201d<\/p>\n The project is a callback to one the church led in the 1990s that honored AIDS victims.<\/p>\n Edwena Sobande, left, and Martha Cole speak prior to a worship service at St. Andrew\u2019s Presbyterian Church in Austin, Sunday, May, 3, 2026. (Stephen Spillman)<\/p>\n Stephen Spillman\/Special Contributor<\/p>\n Martha Cole, a church elder, said the church shelters the homeless during extreme weather and stocks a food pantry with its own garden produce. A group of young people organizes to attend various political rallies. The church has its own library featuring many so-called \u201cbanned books.\u201d \u00a0<\/p>\n Cole said\u00a0Talarico\u2019s growing fame has also put the church in a spotlight and exposed people to Christianity that supports progressive ideas, Cole said.<\/p>\n \u201cThe right feels like they have the corner on Christianity,\u201d she said. \u201cAnd that\u2019s not true. That is not true.\u201d<\/p>\n On the other hand, the church has received some threatening messages, she said. \u00a0<\/p>\n Related: Rep. James Talarico mixes faith, family story and Senate pitch in national TV appearance<\/a>\u00a0<\/p>\n Senior minister Rev. Jim Rigby delivers his sermon during a worship service at St. Andrew\u2019s Presbyterian Church in Austin, Sunday, May, 3, 2026. (Stephen Spillman)<\/p>\n Stephen Spillman\/Special Contributor<\/p>\n Sermons become part of the Senate race<\/p>\n On the recent Sunday, Rigby started his sermon by addressing the events of the last week.<\/p>\n It was April 26, and Rigby spoke about the attempted assassination of President Donald Trump at the White House Correspondents\u2019 Association Dinner<\/a> to open his sermon.<\/p>\n \u201cThere was an assassination attempt. And I know a lot of people have mixed feelings,\u201d\u00a0Rigby said. Laughter could be heard from the congregation. \u00a0 Cornyn, during the GOP primary campaign, criticized Rigby and by extension Talarico, saying Rigby made light of the assassination attempt.\u00a0 \u201cI was trying to challenge people who I know are progressive,\u201d\u00a0Rigby said in his sermon May 3. His sermon often circled back to criticizing the MAGA movement and its followers.<\/p>\n In an interview,\u00a0Rigby rejected being an adviser to Talarico. Rigby said he is friends with the Talarico family, and he recounted Talarico sitting in the pews as a child.<\/p>\n \u00a0\u201cHe really thought things through,\u201d he said. \u201cHe was very \u2013 even as a child \u2013 was very intense.\u201d<\/p>\n Senior minister Rev. Jim Rigby participates in a children\u2019s moment during a worship service at St. Andrew\u2019s Presbyterian Church in Austin, Sunday, May, 3, 2026. (Stephen Spillman)<\/p>\n Stephen Spillman\/Special Contributor<\/p>\n Who gets to say what it means to be Christian?<\/p>\n Talarico has drawn sharp criticism from the religious right, especially related to views on abortion and transgender rights. In his runoff victory<\/a> speech, Paxton said, \u201cJames Talarico is a threat to everything we hold dear in this state and in this country.\u201d<\/p>\n Related: Democrat James Talarico’s break in Senate race is over as Republicans turn their fire toward him<\/a>\u00a0<\/p>\n Paxton\u2019s campaign did not respond to multiple requests for comment on this story.<\/p>\n In mid-May, a\u00a0Paxton-affiliated super PAC, Lone Star Liberty, released an ad featuring a series of clips, the first showing Talarico saying, \u201cGod is nonbinary.\u201d Republicans have often turned to the quote to attack Talarico as out of touch with Texas\u2019 large base of Christian voters.<\/p>\n Related: Pete Hegseth’s pastor prays for James Talarico to be ‘crucified with Christ’<\/a><\/p>\n The quote came from remarks\u00a0Talarico made on the floor of Texas House in 2021, opposing a bill later signed into law that restricts transgender K-12 student athletes from playing on teams that align with their gender identity. Talarico said, \u201cGod is both masculine and feminine, and everything in between.\u201d<\/p>\n In a statement,\u00a0Talarico said the speech was meant to be \u201ca little provocative.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt means you can\u2019t define God using human categories because God is so much bigger than that. As the Apostle Paul says in\u00a0Galatians: \u2018In Christ, there is neither male nor female,\u201d he said.\u00a0<\/p>\n Some prominent pastors are critical of Talarico\u2019s statements. Robert Jeffress, senior pastor of First Baptist Dallas, said his views, especially on gender, are \u201cantithetical to historic Christianity.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cPerhaps one of the most core beliefs Jesus referred to, in Matthew 19, was God is the one who makes us male and female,\u201d\u00a0Jeffress said.\u00a0<\/p>\n Before the runoff, Jeffress agreed to be on a faith council for Cornyn. Jeffress said being on the council was not an endorsement, and that evangelical Christians are unified against Talarico.<\/p>\n \u201cIt’s complicated because of the background and some of the past accusations against\u00a0Paxton, but I think in the end, a lot of people feel like they’re voting for policies and not a personality,\u201d Jeffress said.\u00a0<\/p>\n Senior minister Rev. Jim Rigby delivers his sermon during a worship service at St. Andrew\u2019s Presbyterian Church in Austin, Sunday, May, 3, 2026. (Stephen Spillman)<\/p>\n Stephen Spillman\/Special Contributor<\/p>\n Related: Republicans say state Rep. James Talarico’s faith-heavy Senate campaign is bad religion<\/a>\u00a0<\/p>\n As attorney general, Paxton has been praised by the religious right. He has championed putting the Ten Commandments in Texas classrooms, encouraged Christian prayer in schools and opposed abortion.<\/p>\n For years,\u00a0Paxton listed his church membership as Plano-based Prestonwood Baptist Church, one of the country\u2019s largest churches. Shortly after his wife, state Sen. Angela Paxton, filed for divorce \u201con biblical grounds,\u201d<\/a> Paxton\u2019s public biography no longer mentioned his church membership.<\/p>\n His campaign did not respond to several email and phone messages seeking clarity on his church membership and faith. A spokesperson for\u00a0Prestonwood Baptist Church said it does not disclose information on attendance or membership.\u00a0<\/p>\n Related: Ken and Angela Paxton divorce trial canceled as couple nears agreement, lawyers say<\/a><\/p>\n “My faith and Christian values are the foundation of not only my public service, but they\u2019re also the foundation of every aspect of my life,” Paxton told the Christian Post<\/a> in May. “My faith shapes how I view right and wrong, justice, and my responsibility to the people I serve.”<\/p>\n In 2023,\u00a0Paxton was impeached in the Texas House, but acquitted in the Senate, over allegations of abuse of office, bribery and obstruction of justice.\u00a0In March, speaking at the Conservative Political Action Conference<\/a> in Grapevine, Paxton said \u201cthe grace of God\u201d carried him through the impeachment trial. \u201cHe absolutely delivered me, and he used the people of Texas to deliver me,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n In that speech, he said his decision to run for state office years ago was reinforced by his church friends. \u201cI don\u2019t know what happens if you ask God for an answer and he gives it to you, and you don\u2019t do it, but I don\u2019t want to find out,\u201d he said. \u201cSo that\u2019s how I got involved in politics.\u201d<\/p>\n Rep. Matt Shaheen, a Plano Republican who attends Prestonwood Baptist Church, was a Cornyn supporter. He says he\u2019s now \u201c100%\u201d behind Paxton, based on Paxton\u2019s support for conservative legislation.\u00a0<\/p>\n Shaheen also takes offense to Talarico\u2019s references to his faith. He cited the New Testament Book of Titus, warning of \u201cfalse teachers.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHe mocks God, and he totally misrepresents Jesus,\u201d\u00a0Shaheen said.<\/p>\n Trump, meanwhile, recently called\u00a0Talarico a \u201cweird, weird candidate.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
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Rigby continued, \u201cBut it\u2019s really, really important, if we are going to be the healing agents of the world, to realize that violence is not going to get rid of the problem that we have.\u201d<\/p>\n
Rigby said that he was condemning political violence with his sermon, and that the Cornyn campaign was misleading.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
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