James Talarico Faces Texas Voters on Abortion, Border and Paxton at CNN Town Hall

James Talarico spent 90 minutes on 14 October answering questions from a mixed audience of Texas voters at a CNN and Jubilee town hall in Fort Worth. The state representative and Presbyterian seminarian is the Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate. Republican Attorney General Ken Paxton, his opponent, declined the invitation and has not agreed to any of five debate proposals from television networks.

Talarico told the room of roughly 60 people, split among Democrats, independents and Republicans, that he would break with his party when it served Texas. “I’m a proud Texas Democrat, but I already have a religion and I already have a sports team,” he said. He criticised the Biden administration’s border policy, called himself a “border security Democrat,” and supported hiring more Border Patrol agents and expanding legal immigration. He opposed abolishing ICE.

On abortion, Talarico said the Bible is silent on the issue and that people of faith can reach different conclusions. He argued both sides should focus on reducing unplanned pregnancies through public-health measures. A Catholic voter pressed him; he replied that the goal should be fewer abortions overall. He framed the race as a contest between ordinary Texans and powerful interests, stating, “The only minority destroying America is the billionaires.”

Talarico accused Paxton of increasing his net worth by $27 million while in office and owning 15 homes. A Marist poll released the same day showed Talarico leading among independents and drawing support from about 8 percent of Republicans. Paxton has led in most other recent surveys. Talarico had been off the campaign trail for more than a week with illness before the event.

The town hall was moderated by CNN’s Erin Burnett. Audience members asked about healthcare costs, energy jobs and political corruption. Talarico said an affordability crisis stems from a corruption crisis. Republicans described his moderate tone as inconsistent with his voting record in the Texas Legislature. No independent fact-check of the net-worth claim has been released.

Early voting in the Texas Senate race begins later this month. Control of the seat is among the contests that will help decide which party holds the Senate after the November midterms.