Talarico’s Advice To Voters? Don’t Trust A Word He Says

Fresh off defeating Republican Ken Paxton in the Texas Senate race, Democrat James Talarico said voters should not trust what politicians, including himself, say, but should judge their records instead.  

Talarico, who flipped a Republican-held Senate seat, campaigned as a moderate who supported border security and opposed transgender procedures on kids. Pressed during an interview Wednesday with Fox News about what voters should make of the wave of Democratic socialists elected to the House, Talarico said voters should not believe what the candidates say, but look at their records. 

“I don’t think you should listen to anything a politician says. You shouldn’t trust anything,” Talarico said.

When “America’s Newsroom” host Dana Perino asked if that included himself, Talarico responded, “Yeah.” 

“What you should do is look at my record,” he said. “That is what you can trust, because actions, in my view, speak a lot louder than words. And I’ve served for four terms in the Texas legislature.”

On the campaign trail, Talarico sought to present himself as a moderate, distancing himself from several past positions and statements. While claiming to be a “border security” Democrat, Talarico had previously accused Republicans of committing “atrocities” for taking action to close former President Joe Biden’s porous border. 

Talarico once said that enforcing immigration laws during COVID was an example of America’s commitment to the “oppression of undocumented Americans.”

During his Wednesday interview, Talarico said he would work with President Donald Trump to secure the border while calling for amnesty for illegal immigrants already in the United States. 

Talarico also said he wanted to work with Trump to increase the housing supply and agreed with the president on “the need to legalize marijuana.” 

Other issues Talarico shifted on during the campaign included support for the oil and gas industry and voter ID. His campaign positions contrasted with earlier comments opposing voter ID requirements and predicting that oil and gas would go the way of the cassette tape. 

Talarico defeated Paxton by approximately 55% to 43% in a blowout, helping Democrats capture control of the Senate.