By Hayley Mireles

Friday morning at St. David’s Baptist Church, James Talarico sat down with the Texas Tribune editor-in-chief, Matthew Watkins. The Texas Democrat detailed why he chose to run for the Senate, his feelings about Democratic Senate members’ previous actions during the government shutdown, and his thoughts on the future release of the Epstein files. 

Talarico announced in September that he would join the race for a spot in the Senate in hopes of replacing Republican Senator John Cornyn. When asked why he chose to lead a campaign in the Senate race, he stated, “I really think of these positions as jobs, you’re applying to a job.” 

He went on to say, “The skills that I developed in the trenches of the Texas legislature, working across the aisle to pass legislation, questioning witnesses to get to the truth, debating on the house floor with my colleagues, those skills in my mind are much more transferable to a U.S. Senate seat.” Talarico has been serving in the Texas House of Representatives since 2018. 

Talarico uses his faith as a rationale for his decision to run for public office, differentiating himself from other Democratic Party members and offering a new perspective on religion in politics.

“My faith calls on me to fight for all of my neighbors,” he expressed when questioned about how his religion guides his political decisions. “Loving our neighbors is how we show our love for God, and that’s what led me into public service.”

He was also asked about the government shutdown, which lasted a total of 43 days, and was seen by many democrats as an opportunity to combat republicans efforts to take away health care benefits from millions of Americans. The House of Representatives approved the new bill, voting 222 to 209, with 7 democrats voting to end the shutdown. 

Talarico stated that he was “frustrated, [that] a handful of Senate democrats caved to D.C. republicans. Any deal that kicks 1.7 million Texans off their healthcare isn’t compromise, it’s surrender.”

Furthermore, he specified that all the democrats who voted yes were from blue states, claiming that red state democrats, like himself, know how to hold the line and would benefit the legislature by not backing down. 

“The only path forward is for red state democrats to remake [the Democratic] party at the national level in our own image because we desperately need fighters, not folders.”

When asked about the Epstein Files being released, which has been in the public interest since his arrest in 2019, Talarico questioned when topics of pedophilia and sex trafficking became a part of bipartisan issues. 

He stood firm on his belief that “The American people deserve to know the whole truth about Jeffery Epstein and every single powerful person who enabled him.” 

Talarico went as far as stating that “if there is a democrat on that list [he’d] be the first to call for their prosecution,” he continued to call for their release and urged that Americans are owed all the information related to Epstein. 

Talarico ended his one-on-one session with Watkins by answering a few audience questions. One audience member questioned his thoughts on new leadership in the House and Senate among Democrats. 

“I absolutely believe that we should welcome a new generation of leaders in the democratic party,” he answered.

He went on to call for “new blood in [the democratic] party,” and hopes to keep room open for young leaders in politics at the national level.