Shorter version of James Talarico's new approach: I used to have core beliefs. Now I have others. And if you don't like those, we can negotiate.
While prepping for the first night of the GOP's midterm convention, I first tuned to Fox News, which had a live broadcast from the Dallas venue, but mainly talked over the events on stage. Before I switched over to C-SPAN's stream, Fox aired an interview with James Talarico conducted by Brooke Taylor, in which the Democrat progressive nominee repudiated every position he'd held in office the previous few years. Talarico did everything he could to distance himself from his own remarks and votes, except to claim to have been abducted by aliens until after the March primary.
Based on how well this went, perhaps we may not need to wait long for the alien abduction excuse, especially given the track record David laid out this morning:
"I oppose trans athletes playing in girls sports if it endangers safety or fairness."
— Fox News (@FoxNews) September 9, 2026
Democratic Senate nominee James Talarico is changing his tune on biological men in women's sports.
Pressed by Fox News' @Brooketaylortv on where he stands, Talarico said he would oppose trans… pic.twitter.com/o7JdCirul2
Pressed by Fox News' @Brooketaylortv on where he stands, Talarico said he would oppose trans athletes competing in girls' sports if it poses a risk to safety and fairness — a notable shift for a candidate who once claimed there were "six" biological sexes and said "God is nonbinary."
He has since said he knows there are two sexes and acknowledged some of his past comments "missed the mark."
David isn't the only observer with receipts, and a number of people called Talarico out for gaslighting voters. Dana Loesch pointed out that Talarico explicitly rejected the fairness argument at the time he voted against bills in the state legislature that banned pediatric sex-change surgeries and barred males from female competitions. "Some things are more important than perfectly fair competition in sports," Talarico declared at the time.
In fact, Talarico bragged about defeating a bill protecting female competition in an earlier session of the legislature, a tweet that remains up and accessible (via Twitchy):
7. We successfully worked with our Democratic colleagues and trans activists to kill SB 29, the bill that attempted to ban trans kids from competing in school sports.https://t.co/Z8P8VXRx7P
— James Talarico (@jamestalarico) June 2, 2021
As Ken Paxton reminded people on X/Twitter, Talarico two opportunities to apply the common sense he now claims to have on this issue, and refused twice:
James Talarico voted against TWO bills that would have prevented men from playing in women’s sports.
— Attorney General Ken Paxton (@KenPaxtonTX) September 9, 2026
He also called it a “far-right conspiracy theory.” This is just the latest episode in James Talarico’s long saga of lies and flip-flops. pic.twitter.com/shvr5kg3iP
Who will actually believe this, especially from a candidate who just spent the weekend fundraising in Los Angeles? Did Talarico proclaim his newfound gospel of common sense about pediatric sex changes, biological sexes being two in number, or the unfairness and safety concerns of male "trans" athletes competing in women's sports?
And herein lies the problem with Talarico's lies. He's using an old playbook in an era that no longer fits this strategy. In the past, mainly before the broadband era, politicians could run on red meat in the primaries and then tack back toward the center for a general election. That strategy can work today, but only for politicians who tend to be centrists in the first place. It will work for Susan Collins, but not so much for Ken Paxton, as a contrast. But Paxton isn't pretending to be a moderate; he's running on his record as a conservative, embracing his previous policy positions, and standing on his accomplishments as a three-term AG. His voters will remain energized, and more centrist voters won't feel like Paxton's insulting their intelligence.
Talarico's gaslighting, on the other hand, will fail for precisely that reason. He sounds like a used-car salesman trying to transform an unsightly jalopy into a sleek sports car, not a 'preacher' dedicated to spreading the truth. Not only will Talarico fail to convince anyone of his born-again-moderate status, but he's also likely to lose some of his radical supporters, who see other progressives running loud and proud on their principles and wonder whether Talarico really has a low-T problem, politically speaking. Watching Talarico concede the trans issues on Fox News will have a demoralizing impact on those voters, while at the same time still doing nothing to heal the breach with black Democrats in Texas.
Perhaps Talarico never got around to reading Revelation 3:16 at his progressive Presbyterian seminary, but his progressive voters may demonstrate its meaning if he keeps trying to convert himself into Texanhood.
Editor’s Note: The 2026 Midterms will determine the fate of President Trump’s America First agenda. Republicans must maintain control of both chambers of Congress.
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