When Democrat state Rep. James Talarico emerged as the party’s nominee for U.S. Senate, he began portraying himself as a moderate — but his past statements, including “prison is violence,” and his record on crime suggest a more radical approach.
Texas voters elected Talarico over U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett in the Democratic primary for Senate on March 3, as The Dallas Express reported. As he prepares to face the winner of the May 26 Republican runoff between incumbent Sen. John Cornyn and Attorney General Ken Paxton, Talarico is portraying himself as a moderate.
Talarico is studying at a Presbyterian seminary and has sought to frame Democratic policies as rooted in Christian morality, as The Dallas Express reported. His claims — that “God is nonbinary,” that the Bible omits abortion and homosexuality, and that “our trans community needs abortion care” — have drawn criticism from those who say they conflict with scripture and historic Christian doctrine.
Talarico’s past positions on criminal justice suggest a similarly radical ideology. He has said “prison is violence,” voted against bail restrictions for violent and sexual offenders, and campaigned on keeping the Austin Police Department defunded.
RNC Spokesman Zach Kraft told The Dallas Express he condemns Talarico’s criminal justice past.
“The only thing James Talarico hates more than a Texas ribeye is law and order,” Kraft said, apparently referencing the candidate’s pro-vegan comments.
Talarico Campaign Spokesman J.T. Ennis told The Dallas Express the candidate disagrees with defunding the police.
“James does not support defunding the police, and has consistently voted to allocate billions to fund law enforcement,” Ennis said.
Condemning Prisons
Standing at the pulpit in 2022, Talarico invoked the Bible to condemn keeping people in “cages.”
“My experience as a teacher, a legislator, and a Christian tells me that birds don’t belong in cages; children don’t belong in cages; people don’t belong in cages,” he said.
Talarico continued to call prisons “violence.”
“Poverty is violence. Pollution is violence,” he said. “And yes, prison is violence.”
“…We all recognize domestic abuse as violence, but we don’t always recognize the ways in which our systems hurt people every day. Poverty is violence. Pollution is violence. And yes, prison is violence.” pic.twitter.com/lb7cq0lsnC
— James Talarico (@jamestalarico) April 11, 2022
Talarico called to build a system “rooted in love not violence.”
“I’m not asking you to join the system; I’m asking you to change the system,” he said to the room of high school graduates. “Dismantle this system of violence.”
Opposing Crackdowns On Violent Criminals, Human Smugglers
Gov. Greg Abbott signed H.B. 20 in September 2021, tightening bail restrictions for violent criminals. The law was named the “Damon Allen Act” for Texas DPS Trooper Damon Allen – murdered in 2017 by a suspect out on bail.
The state House passed H.B. 20 in May 2021, by a vote of 98 to 46. Talarico voted no.
Abbott signed S.B. 4 in December 2023, setting a mandatory 10-year prison sentence for smuggling humans and setting a mandatory 5-year sentence for running a stash house – where criminals store contraband like drugs, guns, and people.
The state House passed S.B. 4 in October 2023, by a vote of 92 to 54. Again, Talarico voted no.
Ennis pointed to Talarico’s prior votes for the final versions of general spending bills in 2019, 2021, 2023, and 2025, which included billions of dollars in funding for public safety and criminal justice. He also voted to pass the final version of S.B. 22 in 2023, boosting funding for rural sheriffs and prosecutors.
Keeping Austin Police Defunded
As social justice activism swept the nation in June 2020, Talarico’s campaign donated $2,500 to the far-left Austin Justice Coalition, according to campaign finance disclosures.
That month, the group pushed the Austin City Council to “defund the Austin Police Department,” according to Fox 4. The council listened to the demands, and in August, they carried them out – slashing Austin police funding by one third, according to The Texas Tribune.
Soon, homicides spiked across the city, reaching the highest rate in two decades.
So a grassroots group launched Proposition A in 2021, which would have set police training standards and staffing minimums based on population, according to Ballotpedia.
Talarico campaigned against the proposal – dismissing concerns about defunding the police as “scare tactics.” He pointed to then-Austin Police Chief Joseph Chacon, who reportedly claimed “police primarily react to crime rather than prevent it.”
“I’m proud to stand with one of the largest coalitions in Austin history to oppose Prop A,” Talarico posted on November 2, 2021. “It’s not too late to join us.”
I’m proud to stand with one of the largest coalitions in Austin history to oppose Prop A.
It’s not too late to join us. Polls are open till 7PM tonight!@ATXJustice @TFN @WDActionFund @TCDP @ProgressTX @SierraClubATX @TexasAppleseed @TXCivilRights @AustinAFSCME pic.twitter.com/CNA8neHCPC
— James Talarico (@jamestalarico) November 2, 2021
The proposal to raise Austin police standards ultimately failed at the ballot box, by 31.11% to 68.89%.
“Not only did he defund the police, but he doubled down on keeping the police defunded even after homicides spiked 50% as a result,” Kraft said to DX.
“While John Cornyn, Ken Paxton, and the billionaires who prop them up try to deceive voters by presenting a false choice between funding law enforcement and funding crime prevention services, James will continue building a people-powered movement that takes on this broken political system,” Ennis said to DX.
Talarico will face either Paxton or Cornyn, depending on who wins the Republican primary runoff May 26.
Each of the candidates faces similar odds against Talarico, according to RealClearPolitics. While polling is limited, the average data so far shows Cornyn with a two-point advantage, and Paxton with a one-point advantage.
