James Talarico recently held a rally at the Waco Hippodrome. My wife and I are grateful we attended.
We joined a long line of diverse Wacoans, talking excitedly as we waited to clear security and enter the theater. When Talarico spoke, he was passionate, intelligent, charismatic and honest. He shared his humble background — reared by a courageous single mom who escaped an abusive marriage when James was a baby, proudly transforming a closet in their tiny apartment into his nursery.
Growing up, he was always aware of her sacrifices. In his twenties, he began to give back — teaching sixth graders in San Antonio in one of the poorest ZIP codes in the state. His experience of family financial struggle, as well as the challenge of helping his at-risk, low-income students, shaped policy goals he has pursued in his political career. We were inspired by Talarico’s vision of a better future, convinced he is a man of deep faith and genuine integrity who is not hesitant to allow his beliefs to guide his behavior..
Robert Sellers
In the Texas Democratic primary March 3, statewide enthusiasm for the 36-year-old enabled him to defeat Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett and run in the November midterms to capture a U.S. Senate seat. Pre-primary speculation surmised if Talarico and Republican Ken Paxton both won the primaries, the resulting matchup would be the Democrats’ best opportunity to win in the red state.
Although Crockett is formidable — a “firebrand” who frequently criticizes the president and administration — Republican tacticians worried more about facing Talarico, a rising star with measured demeanor, national recognition and grassroots support.
Thus, Republicans are eager to discredit Talarico. Even before the May runoff between John Cornyn and Ken Paxton, attacks against Talarico have begun. Apparently, their strategy for derailing Talarico’s momentum and defeating him in November is to portray him as a theological liberal and radical Christian.
“Their strategy for derailing Talarico’s momentum and defeating him in November is to portray him as a theological liberal and radical Christian.”
Attacking Talarico’s beliefs
A HuffPost article published the day after the primary reports the condemnation of Talarico’s belief about God by the X account Senate Republicans: “Meet James Talarico, Texas’ Democrat nominee for U.S. Senate. He thinks ‘God is nonbinary.’”
A clip of Talarico speaking about transgender rights in the Texas Legislature shows him asserting: “God is both masculine and feminine and everything in between. God is nonbinary.”
The term “nonbinary” frightens some conservatives and angers others. Oxford Languages defines it as “denoting, having or relating to a gender identity that does not conform to traditional binary beliefs about gender, which indicate that all individuals are exclusively either male or female.” It “describes a person’s internal sense of gender, … different from their assigned sex at birth.”
HuffPost asserted Republicans posted the video “to trigger some conservatives who might adhere to a strict interpretation of the biblical phrase, ‘So God created man in his own image,’ or (who) cite the repetition of ‘He’ and ‘Father’ in Scripture to describe God. … Others on the right might object to the idea of God (as) “nonbinary” … because of the term’s association with LGBTQ support.
Joining the attack on Talarico’s beliefs, Cornyn declared the Democrat interprets the Bible to defend abortion rights and thinks Christianity simply “points to the truth,” like other religions.
A Fox News article published that same evening reports Paxton claims Talarico is a “far-left radical who … says God is nonbinary — I’m not even sure I know what that means.”
It is not surprising Paxton doesn’t know why Talarico called God “nonbinary” or that Cornyn is scandalized by progressive Christianity. Perhaps a professor from Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary — where Talarico is pursuing a master’s degree — might address the student’s beliefs about the nature of God; the Bible, human agency and reproductive rights; and the search for truth in religions besides Christianity. But such theological explanations would inevitably lead to extended discussions about the doctrine of God, bioethical teachings on human sexuality and explorations of Christian pluralism.
“They hope to frighten conservative voters by portraying the Democrat’s words as scandalous.”
Talarico’s opponents do not have the same nuanced theological knowledge he has after studying in a graduate school of theology. Nor do they have the patience or desire to understand his beliefs. Instead, they hope to frighten conservative voters by portraying the Democrat’s words as scandalous.
Attacking Talarico’s behavior
An article published in November 2025 in the New York Post questioned Talarico’s behavior rather than his beliefs. It attacked his character instead of his politics or theological opinions. In the piece, titled “Devout Christian Dem Caught Following Prostitutes, OnlyFans Models, On Social Media,” the associate editor wrote: “Texas Democrat James Talarico, a self-professed ‘devout Christian,’ has been following prostitutes and porn stars on social media, even exchanging messages with some of the busty women, a new bombshell report revealed. … Talarico, who is also a seminary student, liked multiple photos posted by at least one of the sexpots and even exchanged private messages with another flesh peddler who describes herself as a ‘bit of a glamour-puss,’ the outlet found.”
J.T. Ennis, a Talarico campaign spokesperson, confirmed the Texas Democrat has had no other conversations with OnlyFans models, porn stars or escorts, explaining: “The social media team — including James — follows back and engages with supporters who have large followings and does not investigate their backgrounds. While James was unaware of how these women make money, he does not judge them for it and will not play into an effort to smear them for clickbait articles. That’s exactly what his Christian faith calls him to do.”
There is a familiar biblical parallel. Anyone who claims to be a Christian — including the overwhelming percentage of Texas evangelicals who identify as Republicans — should remember that pious religious leaders of Jesus’ day criticized him as a friend of “sinners.” He sat at table with tax collectors. He allowed a woman to anoint his feet with expensive perfume and dry them with her long hair. He talked with a Samaritan woman of questionable reputation at the well in Sychar. He forgave a woman caught in the act of adultery and saved her life.
Talarico does not need professional theologians to defend him for being kind to a woman who wrote to support his campaign. J.T. Ennis has given the very best response to the pious critics who hype their innuendo. Knowing how dedicated a Jesus-follower Talarico is, Ennis simply explained that acting kindly and nonjudgmentally toward Alice Greczyn is exactly how he must act as a Christian.
In an ironic twist of perspective, some of the very same faultfinders of Talarico were once Christian teenagers who wore WWJD bracelets. Now they are trying to shame him for living out his faith publicly. They are accusing him of being liberal because he follows the very radical Jesus.
Rob Sellers is professor of theology and missions emeritus at Hardin-Simmons University’s Logsdon Seminary in Abilene, Texas. He is a past chair of the board of the Parliament of the World’s Religions in Chicago. He and his wife, Janie, served a quarter century as missionary teachers in Indonesia. They have two children and five grandchildren.