James Talarico addresses abortion and border policy at Texas town hall

Texas Democratic Senate nominee James Talarico participated in a town hall event in Texas on Wednesday. According to the New York Post and the Dallas Morning News, Talarico fielded questions during the broadcast. The New York Post reported that a Catholic voter named Jody Hunt challenged Talarico after he argued that his pro-choice position was compatible with faith because the Bible is silent on abortion. [1][2][5]

The town hall also followed recent debate over Talarico's position on border security. Fox News reported that Talarico released a new campaign advertisement on Monday criticizing former President Joe Biden over border security policies. Fox News noted that Talarico previously called to slash the entire border security budget of Texas in a 2019 interview. [3][4]

Talarico is an educator, Presbyterian seminarian, and state lawmaker who has served in the Texas House of Representatives since 2018. He was born on May 17, 1989, in Round Rock, Texas. Talarico won the Democratic primary on March 4, 2026, after defeating Representative Jasmine Crockett. As FTMQ News reported earlier, Talarico also defended a nine-day absence due to the flu during the CNN broadcast. [6][8][10]

Talarico will face Republican nominee Ken Paxton in the November general election for the U.S. Senate. Paxton secured the Republican nomination after defeating incumbent John Cornyn in a primary runoff on May 26, 2026. [8]