James Talarico:

[applegrove]

James Talarico has charisma. Tonight as he spoke in San Antonio, I listened but I also was observant of the crowd.
Many were young(under30) & enthusiastic.
He is inspiring young people in the same way 50-60 yrs ago
Bobby Kennedy & Jimmy Carter did.
He is the face of Texas future.

— Granny Zee (@grannyzee.bsky.social) 2026-05-30T03:40:30.661Z

[Lovie777]

1. K & R......

[walkingman]

2. The opportunity to have a young articulate Senator in Texas is exciting. So tired of the Cruz/Cornyn BS.

[ananda]

3. Good sign!

This is good.

[Alice Kramden]

4. This is what we need

Thanks for posting

[calimary]

5. I don't want to fall in love (politically) too quickly.

But so far, I do like what I see.

This grandma will be watching to see how far he might be able to go.

[surfered]

6. It's the choir boy vs the crook! Fingers crossed there are no surprises like in Maine.

[Trueblue Texan]

7. But he only looks like a choir boy next to his vile and crooked opponent..

In fact, he is an experienced legislator, a thoughtful man, and a man of principle. He is practical, articulate, and courageous. He is not afraid to confront the issues and dung storm the Rethugs will try to throw at him. A politician with backbone and morals is something we have all hungered for for so long. He is not a savior, but he is definitely lighting the way for future politicians and VOTERS to take Texas back.

[oldsoldierfadingfast]

9. Makes me happy for...

all of you Texas Dems.

[Trueblue Texan]

13. Thank you.

He gives me hope…more so than Beto did because he has more than just passion to fuel this fight. He is calm and effective and he knows his enemy well—powerful weapons in the political chaos the right likes to stir up.

[Chicagogrl1]

8. I Pray Your Right

But they used to say the same @ Beto O’Rourke

[EuterpeThelo]

11. That was

the first thing I thought too.

My late husband and I were in Houston the weekend before the 2018 Senate election in Texas. The vibe for Beto was absolutely ELECTRIC there. We saw tons and tons of signs, hats, stickers for Beto and literally ONE Cruz yard sign.

I don't have to tell you how that turned out.

[FadedMullet]

12. OK, you two guys. I know we need to be realistic, but didn't someone say "Keep hope alive"?

[mdbl]

20. As far as TX goes, I can only keep hope alive by not saying anything

lol

[KPN]

18. Yeah, true. But I think Talarico v Paxton is a vastly different dynamic than Beto v Cruz. As an outsider, this one

feels different. My sense is Paxton has far more clear-cut negatives than Cruz did at the time. But then, I'm not in Texas and don't fully understand what drives Texans at the poll. It's a State unto itself.

[charliea]

19. Not a Texan either.

My experience in Texas is limited to a few consulting gigs 10-15 years ago but I did see Beto interviewed recently about this race, and he noted something that encouraged me. He said that the political environment is vastly different now. For the first time in 50 (?) years Democrats have a candidate in every state and congressional contest in the coming election. Given that factoid and the stark contrast between the sleazy crook Paxton and Talarico I have more hope that Paxton will get that smirk wiped off his face...

[haele]

21. My stepmother in law (San Antonio retired Air Force GOP circles)

Said (in a moment of candor) the reason the GOP keep voting for Cruz is to keep him out of Texas.
He's got no charisma, and kept butting into politics for the Grift.
Texas GOP don't mind the Grift so much (it's the reward of being successful in politics), but they just can't stand it if the politician is off-putting in their smarmyness.
So they ship the successful ones off to DC so they don't ruin the local club parties.
Apparently the Abbots and Paxton are perfectly charming when you donate or volunteer for capitalist or BBB type organizations and have enough money to go to the same clubs they do...

[pinkstarburst]

22. Several things I think are different

This is a change year, just like 2024 was a change year. People were unhappy in 2024 (economy-prices) and are even more unhappy now (even WORSE economy-gas prices--OMG). The party not in power tends to benefit in that scenario.

Also, I think Talarico has a message that has the ability to cross over and get some votes the middle a bit more.

We'll have to see.

[summer_in_TX]

10. I also had the opportunity to hear him in person and observed the reactions.

The rally my husband and I attended was back in February in San Marcos. Excellent speaker with a gift of insight into the people there. By the end several near me were wiping away tears. They felt truly seen.

As the state legislator who introduced him said, some legislators are considered show ponies, others work horses. Talarico is both. I looked up his legislative record and it's darned impressive. A lot of very good work in a legislature dominated by Republicans on behalf of public education and students, in particular. Of necessity it was bipartisan and he got them to agree to more than they'd done in the bienniums before he was elected in 2018.

[FakeNoose]

14. Texas Democrats and all TX liberals finally have a reason to hope!

[randr]

15. He is the face of the New Democratic leadership

[bluescribbler]

16. While I am cautiously optimistic about him, I'm still disappointed.

I still see his primary win as another white man beating another woman of color. I don't think I will ever lose that.

[TBF]

23. As a woman in Texas I can see your viewpoint but would remind you -

she entered that race at the very last minute. He had already been campaigning for months, but she and Allred had a talk and all of a sudden, she was running against Talarico.

I think Jasmine is very well spoken and represented her district well. But the way she entered the race was not ideal, and beyond that I didn't think she could win a statewide office given what we deal w/in Texas.

[flashman13]

17. Talarico is clearly a rising star. He, along a number of others, are part of a new generation of Democrats

that are in tune with what the country needs and wants. They will transform the party.

The old guard needs to move aside. They are dinosaurs left over from a time that is gone and is never coming back. The grass roots Democrats understand this. Maybe in the end Trump will have shaken the country and the party out of its lethargy into a New New Deal.