State Rep. James Talarico was not a name on Democrats‘ minds a few months ago, but after famous podcast host Joe Rogan pressed him to run for president, he gained national attention and has now launched a Senate campaign to oust Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX).
“Two thousand years ago, when the powerful few rigged the system, that barefoot rabbi walked into the seat of power and flipped over the tables of injustice,” Talarico said in his launch video. “To those who love this state, to those who love this country, to those who love our neighbors: It’s time to start flipping tables.”
He’ll be facing former Rep. Colin Allred (D-TX), who jumped into the race in July. Cornyn is facing a primary of his own as well, against Attorney General Ken Paxton, who has enjoyed higher polling numbers than the incumbent, though there’s been some tightening.
Here’s what you need to know about James Talarico.
Where did he come from
The Texas state representative went on Rogan’s podcast in July, and Rogan backed him after the pair spoke about the disillusionment with politicians.
“Look, if you have so much interest in getting to the bottom of this, like, universally on both sides of the aisle, and yet nothing gets done, that tends to give people this fear that cynicism is the correct perspective,” Rogan said.
Talarico responded, “I want to validate that. There is reason and good reasons to be disillusioned. All I’m pushing back on is that second step of, it’s always going to be this way. That is the key step.”
“That’s ’cause you need to run for president. We need someone who is actually a good person, but Democrats have very few candidates.” Rogan said, before Talarico interjected that people should not place “all of their faith in a politician.”
Holy sh*t. Democrat James Talarico did so well on @joerogan that Rogan said he should run for President. pic.twitter.com/W8U9mVVxOi
— Democratic Wins Media (@DemocraticWins) July 18, 2025
The exchange and Talarico excited Democratic influencers on social media. “I’ve been a fan of @jamestalarico for quite some time and man oh man, did he absolutely kill this interview on Rogan. This is the way friends. This is the way,” influencer Jo Carducci posted on X.
Another liberal influencer, Brian Tyler Cohen, had Talarico on his podcast days later. Further media coverage rolled in after Politico published an interview with Talarico on Saturday.
What is his background
Talarico, 36, is a Democratic state representative for Texas’s 50th State House of Representatives
district, which covers a part of Austin and Pflugerville in Central Texas. He formerly represented the 52nd district in Williamson County before he chose to run in the 50th due to redistricting.
He has served in the Texas House since 2018, when he won election as a 28-year-old to become the legislature’s youngest representative.
He is a self-professed “devout Christian,” which played a role in Rogan inviting him on his podcast. Rogan saw Talarico giving a speech on why the Ten Commandments should not be enshrined in public schools after Texas Republicans introduced a bill aiming to do that. He called the bill “un-Christian” in a viral TikTok from October 2023. Gov. Greg Abbott (R-TX) signed the bill into law in May, though it is expected to undergo considerable legal challenges.
Talarico earned a bachelor’s degree in government from the University of Texas at Austin before getting a master’s degree in education policy from Harvard University. He is also studying to earn a master’s degree at Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary.
What has he done in the state legislature
In the Texas House, Talarico serves on the Administration Committee, Public Education Committee, the Public Education Subcommittee on Academic and Career-Oriented Education, and the Trade, Workforce and Economic Development Committee. He is the vice chairman of the latter two panels.
He has authored 48 bills in this year’s legislative session and co-authored 20. None of the bills he has authored solely have become law.
One of his most significant legislative accomplishments was his assistance in drafting House Bill 3, which provided billions of dollars in funding for education, as a member of the Public Education Committee. Abbott lauded the bill as he signed it into law in 2019, saying, “This one law does more to advance education in the state of Texas than any law that I have seen in my adult lifetime in the state of Texas.”
He was a vocal opponent of the recently-approved Congressional maps, requested by the White House in order to ensure five more Republicans seats in the 2026 midterms. While Texas Democrats were in Illinois delaying the vote to approve the maps, he went on Fox News’s Will Cain show and recieved backlash over how he framed the interview.
Talarico said he “went on Fox News to tell the truth about the redistricting power grab in Texas,” and when he asked Cain, “If Republican policies are so popular, why do they need to redraw these maps; why not run on their policies?” Cain cut off the interview.
The host swiftly rebutted the accusation, saying there was another question after that conversation.
“Your dishonesty in suggesting I cut your interview short perfectly illustrates the honesty of your run away from Texas… Stay in Illinois little Jimmy. Better fit for you than TX,” Cain wrote of Talarico.
Why did he decide to run
Back in July, he first suggested he was interested in running for Senate, but was hesitant to give in to the people urging him to run because he’s disconnected from Washington.
“Part of why some people have been asking me to look at the Senate race is because I am very, very disconnected from Washington, D.C., and and I’ve never worked there, never served there, have not spent much time there in my life, and so I’m not even up to date on the the D.C. drama between these different factions of the party,” he told the outlet.
Talalrico said he is particularly troubled by the prospect of Paxton winning the primary, calling him the “most corrupt politician in the state of Texas.”
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In his announcement, he said he offers a “reset” for the Democrats.
“I think what I bring is something a little different. I think the country is looking for a reset in the Democratic Party. They’re looking for something new, something fresh, something different and I think that’s what I can provide,” Talarico told NBC. “I am very willing to speak hard truths to my own party and stand up to my own party when it’s wrong, because that’s the only way that this party will change, and it’s the only way it’ll start winning elections and improving people’s lives again.”
He also highlighted his success in flipping in Austin-area district in his first election ever, back in 2018.