Texas state Rep. James Talarico (D) has come under fire by Republicans this week over his past comments on dialing back “meat consumption” as he runs for the Senate.
Talarico campaign spokesman JT Ennis released a tongue-in-cheek image to debunk the narrative that the state lawmaker hates meat.
The photo featured Talarico eating cooked meat by hand as fried foods lay on the table in front of him. No words were included in the press release.
In a resurfaced video from 2022, Talarico explained that his campaign at the time went vegan to fight climate change.
“We have heard, I think, heard more and more issues of animal welfare. I think, not just because it’s the right thing to do, and it’s the moral thing to do, but also it’s, as all of you know, necessary to fight climate change. It is now existential that we try to reduce our meat consumption and that we try to respect animals in all aspects of society,” he said during a fundraiser for laws fighting animal abuse.
“I am proud to say that our campaign has officially become a nonmeat campaign,” he added. “We are only buying vegan products from our local vegan businesses.”
The footage spread quickly on social media in recent days after the Texas Democrat defeated Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-TX) in the state’s Democratic Senate primary earlier this month.
Many Texas Republicans rushed to mock his past comments.
“Vote Republican this November. The steaks couldn’t be higher,” Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX), whose seat Talarico is seeking to grab, wrote in a cheeky post.
Rep. Chip Roy (R-TX) said Talarico’s prior nonmeat campaign is “unelectable” in the Lone Star State, and Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) claimed the state lawmaker “wants to BAN BBQ” for all Texans. Rep. Brandon Gill (R-TX) pointed to other radical opinions held by Talarico that make him unfit to serve Texas at the federal level.
“Talarico wants to represent Texas but is anti-meat, anti-gun, anti-oil, thinks white people are inherently racist, that God is ‘non-binary,’ and that the Bible justifies abortion,” Gill posted on X.
The national GOP account on X directly responded to the Talarico campaign with a statement of its own, posting an edited Now That’s What I Call Music! cover that reads “Now! That’s What I Call A Man.”
NEITHER JOHN CORNYN NOR KEN PAXTON DROP OUT BEFORE RUNOFF DEADLINE FOR TEXAS SENATE
Despite the viral outrage over his nonmeat stance, Talarico is advancing to the general election. In November, he will face Cornyn or Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton (R), depending on who wins the May runoff election.
President Donald Trump has yet to endorse either Cornyn or Paxton in the race, but initial reports suggest he is leaning more toward the sitting senator. In a recent interview with NBC News, Trump expressed confidence in the electability of both GOP candidates, saying he thinks either would win against a “weak” Talarico.