Texas needs what James Talarico is selling -- and so does America

[marmar]

Texas needs what James Talarico is selling — and so does America
He speaks movingly about hope and love — and taking on our broken economy and politics

By Heather Digby Parton
Columnist
Published September 16, 2025 9:00AM (EDT)


(Salon) If you weren’t aware of right-wing organizer and podcaster Charlie Kirk‘s work until his tragic murder in Utah on Sept. 10, you probably didn’t realize he was the likely heir apparent of Donald Trump‘s MAGA movement. In fact, many people who were aware of his mission — which included co-founding Turning Point USA, the youth organization that helped return Trump to the White House, and touring colleges to engage young conservatives and harangue young liberals — might not have understood that. Kirk’s assassination made clear just how valuable and influential he was to the right. At 31, an official position of power within the GOP would have been his for the taking in just a few years.

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One of them is James Talarico, a Texas state representative and Presbyterian seminarian who announced a run for the United States Senate in the Lone Star State against GOP Sen. John Cornyn the day before Kirk’s assassination. At 36, Talarico is only a few years older than Kirk, and while he doesn’t explicitly fashion himself as a voice of the younger generation, he may nonetheless represent the same generational change for Democrats that Kirk did for the MAGA movement.

But Talarico’s message could not be more different.

Like Kirk, he is a strong Christian believer who is exceptionally good at communicating in a way that appeals across generational lines. Talarico is a master at social media, generating over a million followers on Instagram and TikTok, and he has appeared on Fox News and “The Joe Rogan Experience.” (Rogan told him he needed to run for president because we need “a good person” in office.)

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For some of us who live in blue cities, this all might seem a bit too much. We would likely prefer the more secular appeal of Zohran Mamdani, another youthful candidate who is running to be mayor of New York City. But despite the differences in their styles, both Talarico and Mamdani are making a strong case against the pernicious influence of the billionaire class and for the old-fashioned notion of the common good — and they are doing it not with angry rants but with smiles. Their words and actions, both in their own ways, offer a measure of relief from the relentless negativity and antagonism we’ve been dealing with for what feels like decades, and they are tailored to the places they seek to represent. It is smart politics. ..................(more)

https://www.salon.com/2025/09/16/texas-needs-what-james-talarico-is-selling-and-so-does-america/