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James Talarico
American politician (born 1989) From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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James Dell Talarico (born May 17, 1989) is an American politician, pastor, and former teacher serving as the representative for the 50th district of the Texas House of Representatives since 2023.[1] Talarico was the representative for the the 52nd district from 2018–2023, but following the 2020 redistricting cycle, Talarico announced his run for a seat in District 50 in 2022, which he won. He is a member of the Democratic Party and has been called a rising force among Texas Democrats since the mid-2020s.[2][3][4][5]
Representing the northern Austin suburbs of Round Rock, Taylor, Hutto, and Georgetown, Talarico currently serves on the Texas House's Public Education Committee, Calendars Committee, and Juvenile Justice and Family Issues Committee.[6]
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Early life and education
Talarico was born at Round Rock Hospital in Williamson County, Texas, to Tamara Causey, a single mother.[3] He was later adopted by Mark Talarico and has a younger sister. He attended Round Rock ISD schools and graduated from McNeil High School in Williamson County.
His grandfather was a Baptist preacher in South Texas whom he says taught him that Christianity "is a simple — though not easy — religion, rooted in two commandments: 'love God and love your neighbor.'"[2]
Talarico earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in government from the University of Texas at Austin,[7] where he organized students for tuition relief.[8] Talarico was a member of the Friar Society, the University of Texas's oldest honor society.[9] He later earned a Master of Education degree in education policy from Harvard University.[10]
In August 2022, while a member of the Texas House of Representatives, Talarico began pursuing a Master of Divinity at Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary, which he completed in 2025.[11]
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Career
In 2011, Talarico joined Teach For America, teaching sixth-grade English language arts at Rhodes Middle School on the west side of San Antonio.[12] After two years of teaching, Talarico became the Central Texas executive director for Reasoning Mind, a Texas nonprofit focusing on bringing technology to low-income classrooms.[13]
Texas House of Representatives
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2018
Talarico launched his campaign for the Texas House shortly after incumbent state legislator Larry Gonzales did not run for reelection. At age 28, Talarico won both the special and general elections against Republican Cynthia Flores in 2018,[14] garnering media attention for walking the full length of the district.[15]
Talarico was sworn into the Texas House of Representatives on November 20, 2018. He was appointed to the Public Education and Juvenile Justice Committees. As of 2019, he was the youngest member of the Texas Legislature.[16]
In the 86th Texas Legislature, he filed the Whole Student Agenda,[12] a legislative package with bills addressing public education policy. As a member of the Public Education Committee, he helped draft House Bill 3, which contained $11.6 billion in funds for school finance and property tax reform.[17]
During Talarico's first term, a recording of Texas House Speaker Dennis Bonnen was leaked by Michael Quinn Sullivan of the conservative advocacy group Empower Texans. In it, Bonnen claimed he had recruited a challenger for "that Talarico kid."[18]
2020
Talarico won re-election against former Hutto City Councilmember Lucio Valdez with 51.5 percent of the vote.[19] For the 87th Legislative Session, he was reappointed to the Public Education and Juvenile Justice Committees and appointed to the Calendars Committee.[20]
During the 87th legislative session, he filed Javier Ambler's Law, demanding an end to police contracts with reality TV shows,[21] in response to the role Live PD is alleged to have played in the killing of Javier Ambler by Williamson County, Texas police. He had previously criticized Sheriff Robert Chody's handling of the incident, calling for his resignation.[22]
Talarico was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes during a five-day stint in the ICU after a 2018 campaign event where he walked 25 miles across his district. After his diagnosis, he discovered that insulin can cost around $700 per month for Americans. He supported the passage of a bill that capped insulin prices at $25 per month.[23][24]
At the end of the legislative session, he was named one of the Top 10 Best Legislators by Texas Monthly magazine.[25]
2022
After his district was made significantly more Republican during the 2020 redistricting process, Talarico announced that he would run in the neighboring House District 50, a safe Democratic seat being vacated by Rep. Celia Israel.[26][27][28] His previous district was a swing district.[5]
He won the primary election with 78.5 percent of the vote and won the general election with 76.8 percent of the vote.[29]
During the 88th legislative session, he supported House Bill 25, which would create the Texas Wholesale Prescription Drug Importation Program and allow Texas to import lower-cost Canadian medications that are approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.[30]
Talarico was an outspoken critic of SB 1515 on the constitutional grounds of separation of church and state, which sought to have the Ten Commandments displayed in a "conspicuous place" in elementary and secondary classrooms.[31] The bill was declared dead in May 2023.[32]
2024
Talarico defeated Nathan Boynton in the Democratic primary and was unopposed in the general election.
2025
In 2025, he gained further prominence after videos featuring Talarico arguing against a bill that would place the Ten Commandments in Texas public schools led to an appearance on The Joe Rogan Experience.[33] He has publicly expressed interest in running for the U.S. Senate in 2026.[34]
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Electoral history
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Personal life, faith and politics
Talarico is a "deeply religious" Christian and was raised Presbyterian.[3][11] He is active in St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church in Austin.[44]
He is an outspoken critic of Christian nationalism and has called it "a cancer on our religion."[45] He has cited his faith and the teachings of Jesus, especially the commandment to love one's God and neighbor, as the reason for launching his political career. He describes politics as "another word for how we treat our neighbors."[2] Talarico describes Christian nationalism as "the worship of power – social power, economic power, political power, in the name of Christ" and has accused Christian Nationalists of turning Jesus "into a gun-toting, gay-bashing, science-denying, money-loving, fear-mongering fascist" and argued that it is "incumbent on all Christians to confront it and denounce it" in a 2023 guest sermon which racked up more than 1 million views after it was posted on YouTube.[46] In July of 2025, Talarico appeared on the Joe Rogan Experience, where he discussed the influence of faith on his political career.[47]
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References
External links
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