This is commentary from The Patriot Party Texas. Talarico’s quotes are his own, as reported by The Texas Tribune. Claims about his bills, votes and ratings come from Texans for Fiscal Responsibility (TFR), a conservative advocacy group, and are attributed to it.
The short version: Democratic U.S. Senate nominee James Talarico is running as a moderate. His record in the Texas House, as fiscal conservatives score it, is not moderate. The gap between the two is the story.
| Issue | The campaign pitch (fiction?) | The record (fact) |
|---|---|---|
| Energy | Backs an “all of the above” energy approach that protects oil and gas (The Texas Tribune). | Filed HB 2206 in the Texas House, which would have capped greenhouse-gas emissions at 90% below 1990 levels, according to Texans for Fiscal Responsibility. Republicans told the Tribune his positions contradict that bill. |
| Taxes & cost of living | “We have an affordability crisis because we have a corruption crisis” (The Texas Tribune). | Voted against SB 2, the 2019 property-tax reform bill, and received an F on TFR’s fiscal responsibility index in each of the last four sessions, including a 30 out of 100 in 2025, according to TFR. |
| The border | Says “Joe Biden failed us” on the border and wants more Border Patrol agents, immigration judges and surveillance technology (The Texas Tribune). | At the same town hall he called ICE a “secret police force,” while saying he does not want to abolish it (The Texas Tribune). |
| Trade | Wants the “crazy tariffs” repealed (The Texas Tribune). | Also opposes suspending tariffs on foreign beef, saying “D.C. politicians are flooding the market with unregulated foreign beef” (The Texas Tribune). |
Why it matters. Campaigns are built to win the middle; voting records show what a lawmaker does when the cameras are off. In a race this close, with a Fox News poll showing Talarico 51% to Ken Paxton’s 49%, Texans deserve to judge him on both. The test is simple: when the pitch and the record disagree, trust the record.
The other side. Talarico frames his campaign around affordability and fighting corruption, and has won over many moderate and undecided voters, according to the Tribune. TFR is an advocacy group with its own scoring priorities, and its ratings are not neutral measures.
Check it yourself. Read his own words in the Tribune voter guide, look up the roll calls on Texas Legislature Online, and compare. Early voting runs through Oct. 30; Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 3.
