Texas state Rep. James Talarico said Wednesday that previous comments he\u2019s made on sensitive cultural issues \u201cmissed the mark,\u201d as Republicans lean on those remarks to attack him in the contentious Senate race. <\/p>\n
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In an interview with NBC News, the Democratic nominee was asked if he wanted to clarify some of those statements that his GOP challenger, state Attorney General Ken Paxton, has been highlighting in recent days.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ll be the first to admit that I missed the mark on some of those old statements, but what Ken Paxton is doing is clipping my cringey comments to distract from his career of corruption,\u201d Talarico said, speaking hours after Paxton defeated longtime Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas<\/a>, in the GOP primary runoff. <\/p>\n \u201cKen Paxton has a criminal record; I have a legislative record,\u201d Talarico went on, referring to an indictment Paxton faced that was dismissed after he participated in a diversion program<\/a>. \u201cI\u2019ve served for four terms in the Texas House of Representatives, where I brought Democrats and Republicans together to pass 60 bipartisan bills to cut property taxes, to raise teacher pay, to lower the cost of housing, childcare, prescription drugs, including insulin, and I\u2019ve called out the extremes in both parties.\u201d<\/p>\n In his remarks celebrating his victory Tuesday night, Paxton referred to Talarico by a string of mocking nicknames \u2014 \u201cTofu Talarico,\u201d \u201cSix-gender Jimmy,\u201d \u201cJames Tala-freako\u201d and \u201cLow T Talarico\u201d \u2014 while denouncing his positions related to gender-affirming care, immigration, energy and religion.<\/p>\n Paxton, whom President Donald Trump endorsed earlier this month<\/a>, was harnessing comments Talarico has made while serving as a state legislator.<\/p>\n In 2020, after the death of Ahmaud Arbery in Georgia<\/a> in a racially motivated hate crime, Talarico posted images on X of Black individuals<\/a> and said Arbery was the latest American \u201ckilled by the virus of racism.\u201d He added<\/a>: \u201cWhite skin gives me and every white American immunity from the virus. But we spread it wherever we go\u2014through our words, our actions, and our systems. We don\u2019t have to be showing symptoms\u2014like a white hood or a Confederate flag\u2014to be contagious.\u201d <\/p>\n In 2021, during a debate in the Texas Legislature on a bill targeting transgender athletes<\/a>, Talarico said, \u201cModern science recognizes that there are many more than two biological sexes \u2014\u00a0in fact, there are six.\u201d<\/p>\n Republicans have also mocked Talarico over rumors of him being a vegan, which the Democratic contender denied in an interview Tuesday with MeidasTouch<\/a>, also using the question as an excuse to bring up a past indictment against Paxton.<\/p>\n Trump wrote on Truth Social after Paxton\u2019s win<\/a> that Talarico \u201cmay be the worst TEXAS candidate I have ever seen.\u201d He went on to say Talarico is \u201ca strong Open Borders advocate, he is WEAK ON CRIME, believes there are 6 genders, is insulting to Jesus Christ, will never support the Military, was a big Mask Wearer until recently, and is a Vegan who dislikes meat, not exactly a good way to be if your wanting to win an Election in Texas.\u201d<\/p>\n For his part, Talarico said of Paxton to NBC News: \u201cThe most corrupt politician in America just became the Republican nominee for the United States Senate.\u201d<\/p>\n Talarico pivoted to preview more of his own general election attacks, noting Paxton\u2019s impeachment in 2023 <\/a>on charges including using his public office to benefit a donor. The Republican-led state House voted to impeach Paxton, but he was acquitted in the state Senate.<\/p>\n Still, the allegations at the center of the episode are all over the Senate campaign. Cornyn and his allies argued for months that nominating Paxton for Senate would put the seat at risk, potentially turning off voters concerned about the state attorney general\u2019s record of controversies.<\/p>\n