James Talarico

Why they say you should vote for them

The candidate's own case to voters, summarized from their campaign and public statements.

• Frames his campaign as a challenge to "billionaire mega-donors" and what he calls a rigged system, saying he wants to win power back for working people.[1]
• Points to his background as a sixth-grade teacher on San Antonio's West Side and says he is the only Texas legislator who has never taken corporate PAC money.[2],[6]
• Says he wants large corporations and the wealthiest Americans to pay more in taxes so working families pay less, and cites his state law capping insulin copays.[5]
• Says health care is a human right and proposes letting any American buy into Medicare through a not-for-profit option.[3]
• Has invited supporters of Sen. John Cornyn to back his campaign after Cornyn lost the Republican runoff.[12]

Background

• State Representative, District 50 (District 52 before 2023 redistricting), Texas House of Representatives · 2018–present[9],[11]
• Joined House Democratic quorum breaks over a 2021 elections bill and the 2025 mid-decade congressional redistricting, Texas House of Representatives · 2021, 2025[9]
• Central Texas executive director, Reasoning Mind (education nonprofit) · After 2013[9]
• Sixth-grade English language arts teacher (Teach For America), Rhodes Middle School, San Antonio · 2011–2013[9],[2]

Education

• B.A. in government, University of Texas at Austin (2011)[9]
• M.Ed. in education policy, Harvard Graduate School of Education (2016)[9]
• M.A. in theological studies; Master of Divinity student, Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary[9],[2]

Where they stand

• Taxes
  Supports higher taxes on billionaires' income and capital gains, a higher corporate tax rate, a tax on stock buybacks, and applying Social Security taxes to earnings above $400,000; supports larger child and earned-income tax credits and reversing recent tariffs.[5]
• Health Care
  Supports a not-for-profit Medicare buy-in option, Medicare drug-price negotiation and out-of-pocket caps, and protecting the Affordable Care Act; opposes cuts to Medicare and Medicaid.[3]
• Immigration
  Supports comprehensive immigration reform that pairs border security with expanded legal pathways, including legalization for long-term undocumented residents and DREAMers; wants ICE focused on criminals and traffickers and would bar agents from wearing masks.[4]
• Abortion
  Supports federal legislation to codify the abortion rights of Roe v. Wade and to protect access to contraception and IVF.[7]
• Elections & Democracy
  Supports banning super PACs and corporate PACs, banning partisan gerrymandering, passing the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act, banning stock trading by members of Congress, and congressional term limits.[6]
• Energy & Environment
  Supports faster energy permitting with environmental protections, requiring large users such as AI data centers to pay for their own grid upgrades, and strengthening the Clean Air and Clean Water Acts.[8]

Voting record

A selection of notable recorded votes. Not a complete record.

In their words