{"id":2631471,"date":"2026-07-18T06:07:02","date_gmt":"2026-07-18T10:07:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/will-peak-woke-social-media-posts-haunt-james-talarico\/"},"modified":"2026-07-18T06:10:04","modified_gmt":"2026-07-18T10:10:04","slug":"will-peak-woke-social-media-posts-haunt-james-talarico","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/will-peak-woke-social-media-posts-haunt-james-talarico\/","title":{"rendered":"Will &#8216;Peak Woke&#8217; social media posts haunt James Talarico?"},"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\">18<\/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%2Fwill-peak-woke-social-media-posts-haunt-james-talarico%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=2631471&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>James Talarico, a Texas Democratic Senate candidate, has built a reputation as a viral progressive who once quoted the Bible in defense of left-wing causes. Now running statewide in a heavily Republican-leaning state, he faces scrutiny over past controversial comments made during the 2019-2020 social justice movement peak, including statements about God&#8217;s non-binary nature and claims of six biological sexes. Talarico has publicly walked back some of these remarks, blaming them on provocation and misinterpretation, but critics view his disowning as an admission of earlier questionable statements.<\/p>\n<p>He has also shifted his campaign narrative from left-wing activism to a focus on economic issues, portraying the race as a fight between &#8220;top versus bottom&#8221; rather than left versus right. Talarico is attempting to appeal to more moderate and crossover voters, including supporters of Republican incumbent Ken Paxton, by emphasizing his service and moderate stance. Despite these efforts, his past comments are being used against him on the campaign trail, and recent polls show the race tightening in favor of paxton, who has consolidated GOP support.<\/p>\n<p>Talarico&#8217;s demeanor and strategy of presenting himself as a relatable, moderate candidate aim to hide his more extreme past positions, but voters may remain skeptical, and Paxton&#8217;s fundraising advantage and the broader political environment pose challenges. The outcome hinges on whether Texas voters will forgive or forget Talarico\u2019s past controversial statements and accept his current moderate positioning amid a competitive and volatile electoral landscape.  <\/p>\n<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\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/texas\/\">Texas<\/a> Democratic Senate nominee <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/james-talarico\/\">James Talarico<\/a>, in a recent CBS News appearance, had a problem he could no longer avoid. Over nearly eight years in the Texas House, Talarico built a national brand as a viral progressive who quoted the Bible in defense of left-wing causes.<\/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\/4651606\/gop-cash-voters-midterms\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>The GOP is flowing in cash, but can money mobilize Trump voters before the midterm elections?<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/house\/4654274\/aipac-cuts-funding-democrats-voted-end-israel-aid\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>AIPAC cuts funding to Democrats who voted to end Israel aid<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/congressional\/4654022\/haley-stevens-michigan-abdul-el-sayed-william-lawrence-cbc\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Haley Stevens dings Michigan Senate rival for stumping with Democrat opposed by black leaders<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Now he is running statewide in a state that <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/donald-trump\/\">President Donald Trump<\/a> carried by 14 points in 2024. Republicans have gladly brought up Talarico\u2019s previous comments ahead of the Nov. 3 election, when Texas voters will choose between him and Republican <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/senate\/\">Senate <\/a>nominee<a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/ken-paxton\/\"> Ken Paxton<\/a>.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-1\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-1\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-15\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-1\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Many of Talarico\u2019s past comments, now being used against him on the campaign trail, were uttered during \u201cPeak Woke.\u201d That is, the roughly 2019-20 period when the COVID-19 pandemic, <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/george-floyd\/\">George Floyd<\/a>\u2019s tragic death at the hands of a Minneapolis police officer, and the Black Lives Matter movement\u2019s growing political strength within the Democratic coalition briefly made social justice warriors some of the loudest voices in American politics.<\/p>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Unfortunately for Talarico, what he offered up was not a defense of his past comments, but a walk-back issued in a frantic attempt to position himself as a centrist in his fight against Paxton, the Texas attorney general who won the Republican primary over Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX), a nearly 24-year veteran of the chamber.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large is-resized\">(Washington Examiner illustration; Brenda Baz\u00e1n\/AP; Posts via X)<\/p>\n<p>&#8221; data-large-file=&#8221;https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/\/2026\/07\/localimages\/WB.Campaign.072226.jpg?w=696&#8243; height=&#8221;658&#8243; width=&#8221;1024&#8243; &#8220;https:><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">(Washington Examiner illustration; Brenda Baz\u00e1n\/AP; Posts via X)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThere are some statements that I\u2019ve made that I certainly regret,\u201d Talarico said. \u201cThere are statements that I\u2019ve made where I\u2019ve missed the mark. I\u2019ll be the first to admit that.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-2\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-2\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-16\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-2\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Naturally, Talarico blamed Paxton for \u201cclipping my cringey comments to distract from his career of corruption.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It makes sense to try to turn it on his opponent. Still, the comments were Talarico\u2019s, not Paxton\u2019s, and disowning them is its own kind of admission.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If this approach to past questionable comments sounds familiar, it was evident in the 2024 presidential race. Democratic nominee <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/kamala-harris\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"748\">Kamala Harris<\/a> quietly walked back a slew of positions she had embraced while running for president in 2019 and courting the progressive base. These included a fracking ban, the decriminalization of border crossings, and having taxpayers foot the bill for prison inmates\u2019 sex change operations.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-3\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-3\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-17\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-3\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The bet was that voters in the middle would accept the newer, more centrist version without asking about the old one. It did not work for Harris in 2024, as the then-vice president lost to President Donald Trump in his successful bid for a second, nonconsecutive term.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">That is a challenge for Talarico in the Lone Star State. Unsurprisingly, he\u2019s already won the endorsement of Harris.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"h-a-long-record-of-questionable-comments\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">A long record of questionable comments<\/h2>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Talarico has a long paper trail to explain.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-4\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-4\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-25\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-4\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In a 2021 Texas House floor debate over a bill restricting transgender athletes, Talarico said: \u201cGod is non-binary.\u201d Recently pressed on it by CBS, Talarico said he had been \u201cintentionally provocative,\u201d adding that the line really meant that \u201cGod can\u2019t be defined by human categories.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He has also argued that \u201cmodern science recognizes that there are many more than two biological sexes; in fact, there are six.\u201d Talarico, when asked whether he still believed that, said, \u201cI know there are two sexes, men and women.\u201d He allowed only that a small number of people have \u201cchromosomal abnormalities\u201d deserving of dignity and respect.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The issue here is that Talarico is not changing his position or defending what he said. Rather, he is boxing himself in by using the misunderstanding defense, as though the problem were how he presented it rather than what he said. A voter who watched him insist on six biological sexes on the floor of the Texas House, and who now hears him affirm that there are two, is asked to believe both that the first statement was merely some youthful provocation and that nothing fundamental has actually shifted. Those two claims cannot be reconciled.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-5\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-5\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-26\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-5\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The second move is to change the subject to economics when cultural issues become uncomfortable. He has built his campaign around the line that the race is not left versus right but \u201ctop versus bottom.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWe\u2019re all getting screwed,\u201d Talarico told CBS. \u201cNone of us can afford anything. None of us can get ahead, no matter how hard we work, and that\u2019s because the system, this political system and economic system, are rigged against us. It\u2019s been rigged for 50 years by billionaire megadonors and their puppet politicians, like Ken Paxton.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Whenever a reporter raises gender, race, or any of the statements now in Paxton\u2019s ads, he will deflect by discussing grocery prices and gas prices.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The most striking departure is that Talarico is now courting voters who didn\u2019t matter to him before. The same politician who made his name as a left-wing firebrand spent the hours after Paxton\u2019s GOP primary win making an open play for Cornyn\u2019s voters.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWe don\u2019t agree on everything, but we both still believe in public service,\u201d he wrote. \u201cTo Senator Cornyn\u2019s supporters: you have a place in our campaign.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">On CBS, Talarico extended his hand further, appealing to anyone who \u201cstill believes in that old-fashioned idea of service.\u201d For a candidate who once treated Republicans as the problem, the embrace of the Cornyn-friendly wing is telling in that he knows he cannot win without some crossover support.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"h-voters-may-not-care\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">Voters may not care<\/h2>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">None of this means Talarico is doomed. Post-primary polling shows him performing well. And some early polls showed a decent percentage of Cornyn voters would cross the aisle to vote for Talarico over Paxton. But that sentiment is often temporary, with voters expressing frustration when their preferred candidate loses.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Republicans understand the potential danger because Talarico doesn\u2019t match the caricature in the attack ads. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) called Talarico \u201cabsolutely extreme\u201d on his podcast, but he relayed a concern about the Democratic nominee\u2019s electability.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWhat makes Talarico dangerous, and that worries me, is he packages it in this very nice, \u2018Aw, shucks\u2019 demeanor, and he sounds like a preacher,\u201d Cruz said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Talarico\u2019s demeanor is part of the strategy. A candidate who talks about loving your neighbor is harder to fit into a neat box than a backbencher who insists there are six sexes, even when it is the same person.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He has even had to defend his cultural bona fides against the smaller, silly issues. When the right pointed out that he boasted of being vegan,\u00a0not something that will play well in cattle country, he denied it with a good line: \u201cI\u2019ve been eating barbecue since before Ken Paxton\u2019s first indictment.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It is a good joke and a clever way of getting past the controversies over his past statements, but it is also somewhat of a problem. A candidate confident his record would not have to address his barbecue consumption on national television.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The latest polling since the race has tightened in a way that should concern Democrats. As Paxton consolidated GOP support, his numbers climbed. Surveys that showed Talarico ahead in the spring now point to a race within the margin of error, with Republican support for Paxton rising from the low 60s to the mid-80s as the runoff results faded.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">That is the part of the 2024 analogy that frightens Democrats. Trump was a highly flawed nominee. He was twice impeached, under indictment, convicted in court, and faced a host of other scandals, yet he not only won but also outperformed his 2016 and 2020 showings. A reliably red state tends to revert to form once the in-party stops feuding.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It doesn\u2019t mean Talarico cannot win. Paxton is a uniquely vulnerable Republican \u2014 the money is pouring in, and a sour national environment for the president\u2019s party could carry a Democrat closer than Texas has since 2018, when Beto O\u2019Rourke gave Cruz a scare.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/congressional\/4629572\/texas-senate-ken-paxton-iceland-mistress\/\">TEXAS DEMOCRATS RIP PAXTON AFTER VIDEO SHOWS HIM FLYING TO ICELAND AHEAD OF JULY 4<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But hope for Democrats and the Talarico campaign rests on the idea that voters will accept the new, moderated version and forget the one that is alive and well in the age of instant media. Harris tried the same tactic against a far more polarizing opponent and discovered the old positions do not disappear simply because she stopped repeating them.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Talarico has to hope that Texas will be more forgiving. The record he is running from is still out there, and Paxton has the campaign budget to keep it flowing to all areas of the state.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Jay Caruso (@JayCaruso) is a writer living in Florida.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Talarico faces scrutiny over past comments amid Texas Senate race<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4087,"featured_media":2631472,"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\/07\/WB.Campaign.072226.jpg?w=696","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[59577,32171,33930,32364,36456],"class_list":["post-2631471","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-james-talarico","tag-political-commentary","tag-political-satire","tag-social-media","tag-woke-culture"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/WB.Campaign.072226.jpg?w=696","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2631471","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\/4087"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2631471"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2631471\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2631474,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2631471\/revisions\/2631474"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2631472"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2631471"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2631471"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2631471"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}