James Talarico, the Texas Democratic nominee for Senate, sat face to face with several undecided voters who grilled him on a slew of contentious issues including Israel’s military campaign in Gaza, abortion and foreign aid, during a CNN town hall on Wednesday evening.
One voter, a devout small business owner, questioned the authenticity of Talarico’s faith, referencing a past remark where he described God as nonbinary.
“When I said that, I was being provocative and I want to admit that and come clean about that,” Talarico responded. “What I was saying is actually not controversial theologically: the idea that we can’t define God using human categories. Not only did I say that, but the late Charlie Kirk said that – the late Pope Benedict said that.”
Talarico added that he was receptive to feedback from Christians.
Jodi Hunt, a self-described single-issue voter, probed Talarico’s pro-choice stance, asking: “How would you convince me as a Catholic voter that I can trust you would protect the most innocent among us?”
Talarico described the Bible as being silent on abortion, to which Hunt countered quoting “Thou shalt not kill”.
“We may have different, moral conclusions when it comes to this particular ethical question, but we actually have the same public policy goal,” Talarico said, framing abortion as a public health issue that could be solved with a reduction in unplanned pregnancies.
During the night, Talarico cast himself as a moderate, who would put the needs of Texans over party allegiances. He railed against the ultra-wealthy, framing them as the common enemy.
Talarico and the Republican nominee, Ken Paxton, are locked in a competitive race to become Texas’s next US senator, with most recent polls showing Talarico with a narrow lead over Paxton. (Paxton declined an invitation to appear on CNN, host Erin Burnett said at the start of the town hall.)
Though Democrats have not won a Senate seat in the state since the late ۱۹۸۰s, they’re hoping Talarico’s newcomer energy and popular appeal will persuade independents and Republicans fed up with Donald Trump’s second term – or turned off by Paxton’s many scandals.
Over the weekend, Talarico became the subject of a disinformation campaign after he was absent from the campaign trail for more than a week. While Talarico’s campaign repeatedly said the candidate was sick with a bad case of the flu, conservative influencers falsely accused him of receiving medical treatment at a mental health facility in Ohio.
The rumor was further propelled by Paxton and Trump, who sought to fuel skepticism about Talarico’s health and fitness for office.
The Democratic candidate denied the false allegations after returning to the campaign trail last week, noting he had never been to Ohio.
“False claims got millions of views online and this is an example of what I call the ‘rage economy’,” Talarico said during the town hall. “Billionaires who own these platforms get rich. We all get angry and nobody’s life gets any better. Conspiracy theories don’t put food on the table, put gas in the tank, or improve our communities.”
Paxton, meanwhile, has been battling his own controversies. A series of leaked audio recordings – made during a closed-door meeting – have been posted online and revealed him being critical of his own party and campaign leaders in DC.
Paxton entered the race with a history of scandals. He was impeached by the Texas state legislature in ۲۰۲۳ on allegations including bribery and abuse of public trust, though he was later acquitted. Paxton’s wife of almost four decades, Angela Paxton, then filed for divorce in ۲۰۲۵ on “biblical grounds”, citing adultery.
But Trump endorsed Paxton to run against Talarico, passing up incumbent Republican John Cornyn.
