得克萨斯州众议院议员詹姆斯·塔拉利科（James Talarico）在击败同为得州民主党人的茉莉·克罗克特（Jasmine Crockett）议员获得民主党参议院提名后，以一名具有两党吸引力的温和派身份进入全国视野。然而，他在宗教、种族、性别、边境安全等诸多问题上的争议性言论历史近期被广泛曝光。
随着塔拉利科首次成为全国关注焦点，许多评论家和策略师纷纷重新梳理其过往言论。其中包括一段2021年他在奥斯汀得州众议院地板上反对禁止男性参加女子体育赛事法案的视频，当时他声称”上帝是非二元性别的”。
“上帝既是男性也是女性，以及介于两者之间的一切。上帝是非二元性别的，”塔拉利科说道，并补充称”跨性别儿童是上帝的孩子，是按照上帝的形象创造的。”
作为一名自称为长老会神学院学生的政治人物，塔拉利科将许多政治立场表述为基督教和圣经语言。然而，在今年1月参加”埃兹拉·克莱因秀”（The Ezra Klein Show）时，他似乎将基督教与包括印度教和伊斯兰教在内的其他宗教等同起来。
（配图：得克萨斯州民主党参议员候选人詹姆斯·塔拉利科于2026年3月3日星期二在奥斯汀参加初选观察晚会。埃里克·盖伊/美联社照片）
“我相信耶稣基督向我们揭示了这一现实，但我也相信其他传统以各自的方式、以其自身简单的结构揭示了这一现实。通过学习佛教、印度教、伊斯兰教和犹太教，我对自己的传统有了更多了解。因此，我将这些美丽的信仰传统视为对宇宙、对宇宙的同一真理的不同诠释，”他说道。
尽管使用圣经语言，塔拉利科在许多核心宗教问题上的立场却与大多数传统基督教派别形成鲜明对比。
他曾引用圣经为堕胎辩护，并在竞选网站上主张将”罗伊诉韦德案”（Roe v. Wade）判例编纂为联邦法律。去年在《乔·罗根体验秀》（The Joe Rogan Experience）中，他称耶稣基督的道成肉身证明了他支持堕胎的立场。
“我在堕胎问题的背景下说这一切，因为在上帝降孕马利亚之前，道成肉身发生时，上帝征求了马利亚的同意……对我来说，这是我们最核心的故事之一，即创造必须征得同意。你不能强迫某人创造……这就是我在这个问题上的立场。”
在2022年最高法院推翻”罗伊诉韦德案”后，塔拉利科表示：”今年夏天，我们超过一半的人口成为了二等公民。我们每一个拥有子宫的邻居都成了国家的财产。没有什么比这更不符合基督教教义的了。”
一段在社交媒体上病毒式传播的视频显示，塔拉利科在教堂布道时称：”他们在主日学校教你耶稣基督本人是激进的女权主义者吗？”
除宗教外，他还发表了与主流科学认知相悖的言论。在得州众议院公共教育委员会听证会上，他称：”现代科学显然认识到，生物学上不止有两种性别；实际上有六种。”
在同一场听证会上，他进一步表示：”关键在于，从生物学和科学角度来看，性别是一个光谱，而且往往非常模糊。”
在另一场布道中，他称在女权主义语境中使用”女性”一词不应被理解为”穷尽性的”术语。
“我们的跨性别社区也需要堕胎护理。捍卫得州的跨性别者是我们每天在州议会大厦必须做的事情，你可以相信我也会就此发表布道，”他说，并继续说道：”所以当我使用’女性’这个词时，不应被理解为我们理解、审视和质疑父权制的唯一视角。就像我们明确反黑人种族主义一样。”
在2020年的一系列推文中，塔拉利科将种族主义称为所有白人传播的”病毒”，无论其是否表现出”症状”。
“白皮肤使我和每个美国白人对这种病毒具有免疫力。但我们无论走到哪里都在传播它——通过我们的言语、行动和制度。我们不必表现出症状——比如戴白色头罩或邦联旗——才具有传染性，”他写道，并补充道：”唯一的解药是诊断我们自身的病毒并采取重大行动遏制传播。第一步是大声而明确地宣称#黑人的命也是命。”
在参议院竞选活动中，塔拉利科将自己的候选人资格定位为反对亿万富翁的斗争，称他们正在”摧毁”美国。
“媒体唯一想问我的是跨性别运动员问题。唯一破坏这个国家的少数群体是亿万富翁，”他在接受MSNBC采访时表示。”跨性别者占人口的1%。无证件移民占人口的1%。我们都在关注错误的1%。跨性别者没有夺走我们的医疗保健。无证件移民没有削减我们的学校经费。是亿万富翁及其傀儡政客。”
（配图：2025年9月24日，警方调查一名枪手在得克萨斯州达拉斯袭击美国移民和海关执法局（ICE）设施的现场。斯图尔特·F·豪斯/盖蒂图片社）
他还严厉批评美国移民和海关执法局（ICE）官员，指责他们使用恐怖手段针对移民家庭。
“我们的这些邻居理应得到比ICE恐怖对待他们和他们的孩子、ICE拆散家庭更好的待遇，”他在接受当地媒体KRWG采访时表示。
关于边境安全，塔拉利科在得州民主党参议院辩论中对阵克罗克特时称：”我们的南部边境应该像我们的前门廊。前面应该有一个巨大的欢迎垫，门上有锁。”
他继续说道：”我们可以欢迎想要实现美国梦的移民。我们可以为那些已经在这里的邻居制定入籍途径，让他们使我们变得更富有、更强大，同时我们可以阻止那些意图伤害我们的人进入。”
尽管在初选时以明显优势击败了已有全国影响力的克罗克特，民主党人现在认为塔拉利科有很大机会在33年来首次将得州参议院席位转为蓝色。他将面临要么是长期在位的共和党参议员约翰·科宁（R-Texas），要么是州总检察长肯·帕克斯顿（R-Texas），具体取决于5月26日共和党初选决选的胜者。
共和党人在周二晚上，甚至在塔拉利科击败克罗克特的结果公布前就迅速开火。
“詹姆斯·塔拉利科是一个支持开放边境、憎恨特朗普的激进分子，绝不能让他进入美国参议院，”国家共和党参议院委员会通讯主任乔安娜·罗德里格斯在一份声明中指责道。
（配图：得克萨斯州共和党参议员候选人肯·帕克斯顿于2026年3月3日星期二在达拉斯参加初选之夜观察晚会。胡利奥·科尔特斯/美联社照片）
帕克斯顿在达拉斯的初选夜演讲中称，塔拉利科是”想要废除ICE的极左翼激进分子，说上帝是非二元性别——我甚至不确定这意味着什么——还认为基督徒有义务允许男孩参加女孩体育赛事。他只会成为查克·舒默和全国民主党人的傀儡。”
而科宁在周日接受《福克斯新闻数字版》采访时表示，塔拉利科和克罗克特”应该去加利福尼亚州竞选参议院，而不是得克萨斯州。他们在得克萨斯州远远超出了主流。”
（配图：得克萨斯州共和党参议员约翰·科宁于2026年2月28日星期六在得克萨斯州伍德兰兹参加竞选活动。安妮·穆利根/美联社照片）
与此同时，一位资深共和党人士将塔拉利科描述为”贝托2.0″，暗指前民主党议员贝托·奥罗克（Beto O’Rourke）——这位曾在2018年民主党参议院初选中试图击败保守派参议员泰德·克鲁兹而失败的崛起新星，后来还曾竞选白宫和得州州长均告失败。
“共和党人认识到塔拉利科是一位强大的候选人，但也知道得克萨斯州仍然是一个相当保守的州，他们将试图将他塑造为极左翼激进分子，以便该州的中右翼选民和独立选民不会选择他而不是共和党候选人，”长期在得州工作的共和党顾问布兰登·施泰因豪泽告诉《福克斯新闻数字版》。
“共和党人将找到塔拉利科在得州众议院发表的每一次进步或左翼性质的演讲，并反复使用这些内容试图将他塑造为极左翼人士。这是我预期的竞选策略，而且他们不会浪费时间这么做，”他补充道。
塔拉利科的主要支持者之一是进步派议员格雷格·卡萨（Greg Casar），他在社交媒体上发文庆祝其初选胜利：”詹姆斯·塔拉利科是民主党未来的代表。”
（配图：2026年3月3日，得州众议院议员詹姆斯·塔拉利科在初选之夜庆祝活动中与支持者握手。保罗·施泰因豪泽/福克斯新闻）
“他团结了各种劳动者，共同对抗那些让生活难以承受的亿万富翁。他将向得克萨斯州共和党人展示，当我们团结在一起时，劳动者的力量是多么强大。向着11月的胜利前进，”卡萨写道。
塔拉利科竞选团队发言人JT·恩尼斯回应《福克斯新闻数字版》的置评请求时，将对塔拉利科言论的批评斥为”误导得州人的陈词滥调”。
在电子邮件声明中，恩尼斯告诉《福克斯新闻数字版》：”约翰·科宁、肯·帕克斯顿、格雷格·雅培以及支持他们的亿万富翁们有充分理由害怕詹姆斯·塔拉利科：我们的竞选正在构建一个有望改变这个州的政治格局、将权力归还给劳动者的运动。”
“当他们抛出误导得州人的陈词滥调时，我们正在团结得州人民，争取11月的胜利。”
与此同时，民主党参议院竞选委员会主席、参议员克里斯滕·吉利布兰德（Kirsten Gillibrand）吹捧道：”塔拉利科多年来一直在州议会为得州人奋斗，他为教师和学生挺身而出，为降低医疗保健成本而战，并打击政治腐败。现在，他已准备好将这场斗争带到美国参议院。”
然而，保守派评论人士认为塔拉利科将难以获得翻转得州所需的两党支持。
保守派评论员马修·施密茨（Matthew Schmitz）在社交媒体上写道：”詹姆斯·塔拉利科的’觉醒版比利·格雷厄姆’表演与蒂姆·瓦尔兹（Tim Walz）的支持跨性别者的’艾尔默·法德’形象有着相同作用。民主党人迫切需要一个乡村/宗教编码的白人男性，让他们最不受欢迎的立场看起来像苹果派一样美国化。”
塔拉利科和卡萨尚未立即回应《福克斯新闻数字版》的置评请求。
（配图：詹姆斯·塔拉利科与前得州民主党参议员候选人贝托·奥罗克的比较。资料图片）
共和党人承认塔拉利科是个强大的对手，但也清楚得州仍然是个相当保守的州，他们将试图将其描绘成极左翼激进分子，以使该州的中右翼选民和独立选民不会选择他而不是共和党候选人。”
While running as a moderate with bipartisan appeal, Texas state Rep. James Talarico, who defeated Rep. Jasmine Crockett, D-Texas, for the Democratic Senate nomination, has a history of making controversial statements on matters of religion, race, gender, border security and beyond.
With Talarico in the national spotlight for the first time, many commentators and strategists are resurfacing some of his past remarks. Among them is a 2021 video of Talarico on the Texas House floor in Austin opposing a bill to ban men from women’s sports and claiming that “God is non-binary.”
“God is both masculine and feminine and everything in between. God is non-binary,” said Talarico, adding, “Trans children are God’s children, made in God’s own image.”
A self-identified Presbyterian seminarian, Talarico casts many of his political stances in Christian and biblical language. However, while speaking on a January episode of “The Ezra Klein Show,” Talarico appeared to equate Christianity with other religions, including Hinduism and Islam.
Texas state Rep. James Talarico, a Democratic candidate for the U.S. Senate, speaks at a primary election watch party Tuesday, March 3, 2026, in Austin.(Eric Gay/AP Photo)
“I believe that Jesus Christ reveals that reality to us, but I also believe that other traditions reveal that reality in their own ways, with their own simple structures. And I’ve learned more about my tradition by learning more about Buddhism, Hinduism and Islam and Judaism. And so, I see these beautiful faith traditions as circling the same truth about the universe, about the cosmos,” he said.
Despite his use of biblical language, Talarico’s stances on many core religious issues stand in stark contrast with most traditional Christian denominations.
He has used the Bible to defend abortion and, on his campaign website, advocates codifying Roe v. Wade into national law. On an episode of “The Joe Rogan Experience” last year, Talarico said the story of Jesus Christ’s incarnation justifies his support for abortion.
“I say all this in the context of abortion, because before God comes over Mary, and we have the incarnation, God asks for Mary’s consent… so to me, that is an affirmation in one of our most central stories that creation has to be done with consent. You cannot force someone to create… so that’s how I come down on that side of the issue.”
After the Supreme Court overturned Roe in 2022, Talarico said, “This summer, more than half our population became second-class citizens. Every one of our neighbors with a uterus became the property of the State. And nothing is more un-Christian.”
In a video going viral on social media, Talarico appears to be giving a sermon in a church in which he says, “Did they teach you in Sunday school that Jesus Christ himself was a radical feminist?”
Beyond religion, he has also taken stances that break with common scientific understanding. In a Texas House Committee on Public Education hearing, he stated, “Modern science obviously recognizes that there are many more than two biological sexes; in fact, there are six.”
During the same hearing, he went even further, saying, “The point is that biologically speaking, scientifically speaking, sex is a spectrum, and oftentimes can be very ambiguous.”
State Rep. James Talarico on the Texas House of Representatives floor in Austin.(James Talarico Senate campaign)
In another sermon, he said the use of the term “woman” in the context of women’s rights should not be understood as an “exhaustive” term.
“Our trans community needs abortion care too. Defending trans Texans is something we have to do every day at the state Capitol, and you better believe I’ll be giving sermons on that too,” he said, continuing, “So when I use the word ‘woman,’ it should not be understood as an exhaustive lens through which we understand, examine and interrogate patriarchy. Similar to how we specify anti-Black racism.”
In a series of 2020 tweets, Talarico referred to racism as a “virus” spread by all White people, regardless of whether they exhibit its “symptoms.”
“White skin gives me and every white American immunity from the virus. But we spread it wherever we go —through our words, our actions, and our systems. We don’t have to be showing symptoms—like a white hood or a Confederate flag—to be contagious,” he wrote, adding, “The only cure is diagnosing the virus within ourselves and taking dramatic actions to contain the spread. The first small step is proclaiming loudly and unequivocally that #BlackLivesMatter.”
On the Senate campaign trail, Talarico has framed his candidacy as one in opposition to billionaires, who he said are “destroying” the U.S.
“The only thing the media wants to ask me about are trans athletes. The only minority destroying this country is the billionaires,” he said during an interview with MSNBC. “Trans people are 1% of the population. Undocumented people are 1% of the population. We are all focused on the wrong 1%. Trans people aren’t taking away our healthcare. Undocumented people aren’t defunding our schools. It’s the billionaires and their puppet politicians.”
Police investigate the scene where a shooter opened fire on a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facility, on Sept. 24, 2025, in Dallas.(Stewart F. House/Getty Images)
He has also harshly criticized U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers, accusing them of using terror to target immigrant families.
“Those neighbors of ours deserve a lot better than ICE terrorizing them and their children, ICE tearing families apart,” he said in an interview with local outlet KRWG.
Regarding border security, Talarico said during the Texas Democratic Senate debate against Crockett that “Our southern border should be like our front porch. There should be a giant welcome mat out front and a lock on the door.”
He continued, “We can welcome immigrants who want to live the American dream. We can build a pathway to citizenship for those neighbors who have been here, making us richer and stronger, and we can keep out people who mean to do us harm.”
Talarico defeated Crockett in the Democratic primary by a comfortable margin despite her already having a national following. Now, Democrats believe that Talarico stands a good chance to flip a Texas Senate seat blue for the first time in 33 years.
He will face off against either longtime incumbent Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, or state Attorney General Ken Paxton, depending on which candidate emerges victorious from the GOP’s May 26 primary runoff election.
Republicans quickly took aim at Talarcio on Tuesday evening, even before his victory over Crockett was called.
“James Talarico is an open borders, Trump-hating radical who can never be allowed to set foot in the U.S. Senate,” National Republican Senatorial Committee communications director Joanna Rodriguez charged in a statement.
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, a Republican candidate for the U.S. Senate, speaks during a primary election night watch party Tuesday, March 3, 2026, in Dallas.(Julio Cortez/AP Photo)
Paxton, in a primary night speech in Dallas, claimed Talarico is a “far-left radical who wants to abolish ICE, says God is non-binary — I’m not even sure I know what that means — and thinks Christians are commanded to put boys in girls’ sports. He will do nothing more than be a puppet for Chuck Schumer and the national Democrats.”
And Cornyn, in a Fox News Digital interview on Sunday, argued that both Talarico and Crockett “should be running for the Senate in California, not in Texas. They’re way out of the mainstream in Texas.”
Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, speaks during a campaign stop in The Woodlands, Texas, Saturday, Feb. 28, 2026.(Annie Mulligan/AP Photo)
Meanwhile, a veteran Republican operative who works in Senate races described Talarico as “Beto 2.0,” as he referred to former Democratic Rep. Beto O’Rourke, the one-time rising star who came up short as the 2018 Democratic Senate nominee in trying to knock off conservative Sen. Ted Cruz, and who later ran unsuccessfully for the White House and for Texas governor.
“Republicans recognize that Talarico’s a formidable candidate but also know that Texas is still a pretty conservative state, and they’re going to try and brand him a far-left radical so that center-right voters and independent voters in the state don’t choose him over the Republican nominee,” longtime Texas-based GOP consultant Brendan Steinhauser told Fox News Digital.
“Republicans are going to find every speech on the Texas House floor that Talarico gave that was progressive in nature or to the left, and they’re going to use that time and again to try and brand him as a far left guy. That’s the kind of playbook I expect, and they’re not going to waste anytime doing that,” he added.
Among Talarico’s top supporters is progressive Rep. Greg Casar, D-Texas, who celebrated his primary victory by posting on X, “James Talarico is the future of the Democratic Party.”
State Rep. James Talarico shakes hands with supporters at his primary night celebration, on March 3, 2026, in Austin.(Paul Steinhauser/Fox News)
“He unites working people of all kinds to take on the billionaires who are making life unaffordable. He’s going to show Texas Republicans how powerful working people are when we stand together. On to victory in November,” wrote Casar.
JT Ennis, a spokesperson for Talarico’s campaign, responded to Fox News Digital’s request for comment by dismissing criticism of Talarico’s comments as “stale attacks to mislead Texans.”
In an emailed statement, Ennis told Fox News Digital, “John Cornyn, Ken Paxton, Greg Abbott and the billionaires who prop them up are scared of James Talarico for good reason: our campaign is building a movement poised to change the politics of this state and take power back for working people.”
“While they lob stale attacks to mislead Texans, we are uniting the people of Texas to win in November.”
And the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee chair, Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, touted that “Talarico has spent years fighting for Texans in the state house, where he went to bat for teachers and students, fought to lower the cost of health care, and took on corruption in politics. Now, he’s ready to take that fight to the U.S. Senate.”
Meanwhile, conservative pundits believe Talarico will fail to gain the bipartisan appeal needed to flip Texas blue.
Matthew Schmitz, a conservative commentator, wrote on X, “James Talarico’s woke Billy Graham shtick has the same function as Tim Walz’s trans-affirming Elmer Fudd persona. Democrats desperately want a rural/religious-coded white male who can make their most unpopular positions seem American as apple pie.”
Talarico and Casar did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s requests for comment.