State Rep. James Talarico, D-Austin, announced his bid to become the next U.S. Senator on behalf of Texas on Sept. 9.
From Round Rock, Talarico graduated from UT in 2011 with a bachelor’s degree in government, according to University records. During his time on campus, he served as executive director of Student Government, according to its website. Later, he worked as a public middle school teacher in San Antonio. In 2018, Talarico ran for the Texas House of Representatives and won in a district where Republicans possessed control just two years prior, according to his campaign website. Currently, he represents Texas House District 50, which covers parts of North Austin.
Talarico will run against Colin Allred, a former U.S. House Representative, and former NASA astronaut Terry Virts in the Democratic primary in March 2026. During his opening campaign rally in Round Rock, Talarico said he aims to address wealth inequalities and political divides.
“So many of the divisions in this state and in this country are manufactured by billionaires who want us fighting each other instead of fighting them,” Talarico said. “The biggest divide in our politics is not left versus right, it’s top versus bottom.”
Talarico has gained support on social media, with over 1 million followers on both Instagram and TikTok. He posts videos where he discusses Christianity and its influence on his political views, such as his opposition to religious influence on public education and tax systems, which he said benefit those from a higher economic status. Ally Flores, president of University Democrats, said Talarico should continue to build his online presence to attract young voters.
“It’s really difficult to get people informed about primary season,” government senior Flores said. “If he’s able to reach that generation and speak to them in a way that resonates with them, that could be really powerful.”
While in office, Talarico advocated to improve public education systems. He authored bills to limit the number of students in prekindergarten to no more than 22 and also allocated funding to student mental health programs. He also supported former President Joe Biden’s attempt to forgive student loan debts.
“I know what it’s like to have student loan debt,” Talarico wrote in the news release. “It keeps so many of us from realizing our dreams.”
Joshua Blank, research director of the Texas Politics Project, said the primary presents a challenge for Talarico because some voters are already familiar with Allred. According to August polling by the group, 18% of people surveyed answered they did not know or had no opinion on Allred’s favorability. However, 54% responded the same for Talarico.
“It’s very difficult for a new candidate to introduce themselves to the voters,” Blank said. “It takes a lot of time, a lot of energy and usually a lot of money. This is the first hurdle that representative Talarico has to clear.”
Talarico said he will be the “underdog” in both the primary and the general election, but he is committed to the race and the reconciliation of national divides.
“It’s been more than 10 years of this kind of politics, politics as blood sport,” Talarico said. “There is a deep hunger in this state and in this country for a different kind of politics.”
