{"id":2608174,"date":"2026-05-29T08:43:56","date_gmt":"2026-05-29T12:43:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/the-gops-low-t-strategy-against-talarico-in-texas\/"},"modified":"2026-05-29T08:43:56","modified_gmt":"2026-05-29T12:43:56","slug":"the-gops-low-t-strategy-against-talarico-in-texas","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/the-gops-low-t-strategy-against-talarico-in-texas\/","title":{"rendered":"The GOP\u2019s \u2018low-T\u2019 strategy against Talarico in Texas"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">16<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fthe-gops-low-t-strategy-against-talarico-in-texas%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2608174&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<article class=\"fn-body\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Republicans are making a Texas-sized bet that Democrat <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/james-talarico\/\">James Talarico<\/a> isn\u2019t macho enough to eek out a Senate victory in the meat-loving, religion-dominated Lone Star State. \u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">From veganism to God\u2019s sex to transgender children, early mudslinging in the competitive race offers a window into how Republican nominee <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/ken-paxton\/\">Ken Paxton<\/a> and the GOP believe cultural issues could weigh down the progressive Talarico more than policy in the socially conservative state.<\/p>\n<section class=\"explore-more-section\" id=\"wex-recommended-widget\">\n<div class=\"magazine-container single\">\n<h1 class=\"magazine-title mt-2\">Recommended Stories<\/h1>\n<p>             <i class=\"fa-solid fa-play icon\"><\/i>         <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-grid\">\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/congressional\/4586603\/platner-collins-feud-over-iraq-war-service\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Platner and Collins feud over his \u2018decision to serve\u2019 in Iraq War: \u2018Slap in the face\u2019<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/congressional\/4586575\/aipac-antisemitism-focal-point-michigan-democratic-primary-debate\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>AIPAC spending and antisemitism emerge as focal point in Michigan Democratic primary debate<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/congressional\/4585486\/talarico-talafreako-taunt-merch-paxton\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Talarico embraces Paxton\u2019s \u2018Talafreako\u2019 taunt with new merch line<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThey\u2019re trying to define Talarico as not only too progressive for Texas or too woke for Texas, but they\u2019re going to use his words to kind of tie him up in knots,\u201d said Brendan Steinhauser, a Texas-based GOP strategist and the campaign manager for Sen. John Cornyn\u2019s (R-TX) 2014 reelection.<\/p>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Paxton and national Republicans are zeroing in on what Talarico himself concedes are \u201ccringy comments\u201d from his past after the Trump-backed state attorney general ousted fourth-term Cornyn in this week\u2019s GOP primary runoff that was a proxy war with party leadership in Washington.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Some of those comments, which Talarico says in retrospect \u201cmissed the mark,\u201d include saying God is \u201cnonbinary,\u201d there are \u201csix biological variations\u201d of gender, the American flag can be a \u201ccomplicated symbol,\u201d his \u201clove\u201d for \u201cthe trans children,\u201d and his state House campaign was a \u201cnon-meat campaign.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cJames Talarico is a threat to everything we hold dear. This is Texas, and we will fight to protect it,\u201d Paxton said with the release of his <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/KenPaxtonTX\/status\/2059660775552061754?s=20\">first general election ad<\/a> that labeled Talarico \u201ctoo low-T for Texas.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The attacks are designed to cast Talarico as culturally alien in a state synonymous with the Alamo, 10-gallon hats, Stetson boots, barbecue, and the cowboys \u2014 both on the range and at Jerry World.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">To that end, Republicans have donned the state Democratic representative with nicknames that include \u201cTalafreako\u201d and \u201cLow-T Talarico.\u201d White House official Stephen Miller <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/StephenM\/status\/2059664091812094400?s=20\">called<\/a> Talarico Democrats\u2019s \u201cfirst transgender senate candidate,\u201d to which the Democratic National Committee\u2019s X account <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/TheDemocrats\/status\/2059685644041892078?s=20\">responded<\/a>: \u201cshut up you ugly f***.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Talarico campaign, for its part, has embraced what are meant to be demeaning monikers by <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/store.jamestalarico.com\/\">selling merchandise<\/a> that read, \u201cI\u2019M A TALAFREAKO.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Republicans have seen success at the ballot box across the country in recent cycles by focusing on culture war topics that can put Democrats on the defensive. But even with Texas\u2019s rightward lean and President Donald Trump capturing the state by 14 points, it\u2019s a major bet in a race where Democrats are prepared to put possibly upwards of $100 million into a competitive seat that could help them take back the upper chamber. Democratic strategists view the key to successfully countering the cultural snubs as hinging on a refocus on kitchen table economic issues and Paxton\u2019s personal and political baggage, which include criminal indictments, an impeachment trial, and a messy divorce after admitting to an extramarital affair.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI think this is a classic playbook that [Republicans] have been using leading up to this election, and frankly, it\u2019s been working for them,\u201d Texas-based Democratic strategist Dallas Jones said. \u201cThey\u2019re running this culture war play in an economy that is failing the American people, and it\u2019s failing Texans, and I think it\u2019s going to be difficult for that to resonate as much when they are the party that\u2019s in power in both this state as well as in our federal government.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Talarico downplayed the nonbinary remarks on God, one of the many comments from years past that Republicans are now playing on an endless loop, as \u201cintentionally provocative.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Texas state Rep. and Democratic Senate candidate James Talarico attends a rally in Houston, Wednesday, May 27, 2026. (AP Photo\/Joel Angel Juarez)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI\u2019m always going to stand up for Texans who are being picked on by the most powerful, the most corrupt politicians in the country,\u201d Talarico said in an interview with <em><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/CBSNews\/status\/2059668066741445059?s=20\">CBS News<\/a><\/em>. \u201cThere are some statements that I\u2019ve made that I certainly regret. There are statements that I\u2019ve made where I\u2019ve missed the mark. I\u2019ll be the first to admit that. But Ken Paxton is intentionally clipping my cringy comments to distract from his career of corruption.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Another leading GOP dig is that Talarico is a vegan in a cattle-heavy state, pointing to prior remarks about consuming meat and advocating to limit it across society to combat climate change. The go-to response from the campaign and Democrats is to show Talarico chowing down on everything from fried alligator bites to chicken to steak, including a <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/jamestalarico\/status\/1980341774540509189?s=20\">giant turkey leg<\/a> from last year\u2019s Texas state fair.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI\u2019ve been eating barbeque since before Ken Paxton\u2019s first indictment, and this campaign basically runs on Texas barbeque,\u201d Talarico said in the <em>CBS<\/em> interview.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">One policy area that has received early attention is immigration and the push from Talarico for America to be more welcoming to immigrants. He\u2019s said the southern border should be \u201clike our front porch: There should be a giant welcome mat out front.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/congressional\/4583632\/james-talarico-and-ken-paxton-court-the-cornyn-vote\/\">JAMES TALARICO AND KEN PAXTON COURT THE CORNYN VOTE<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Paxton will have his own baggage to defend, along with the Senate GOP\u2019s campaign arm, which supported Cornyn and trashed Paxton as an ethically disqualifying candidate, and thus will have to develop a strategy to navigate. Talarico dubbed Paxton the \u201cmost corrupt politician in America\u201d over his 2023 impeachment trial on public corruption charges and felony fraud indictments. In both instances, Paxton avoided conviction. And he still dominated the primary, trouncing Cornyn by nearly 30 points.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI think he\u2019s going to wrap himself in similar language to President Trump when he faced a lot of different prosecutions, and he\u2019s going to say that they\u2019re political,\u201d said Steinhauser, the GOP strategist and former Cornyn campaign manager. \u201cFrankly, I think that argument works well with Republicans \u2014 very well with Republicans \u2014 clearly. The question is, does that carry over to independents and moderates? That\u2019s an open question.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Republicans are making a Texas-sized bet that Democrat James Talarico isn\u2019t macho enough to eek out a Senate victory in the meat-loving, religion-dominated Lone Star State. \u00a0 From veganism to God\u2019s sex to transgender children, early mudslinging in the competitive race offers a window into how Republican nominee Ken Paxton and the GOP believe cultural<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3108,"featured_media":2608175,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/AP26148060590012.jpg?w=696","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[538],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2608174","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-washington-examiner"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/AP26148060590012.jpg?w=696","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2608174","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3108"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2608174"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2608174\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2608175"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2608174"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2608174"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2608174"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}