James Talarico: Christian politician is beacon of hope for Democrats

Have the Democrats found a new saviour? Some in the party believe so, said Adam Wren in Politico. They're pinning their hopes on James Talarico, a 36-year-old Presbyterian seminarian who, following his recent primary victory, is set to contest a Senate seat in Texas in November's midterm elections.

The Democrats haven't won a statewide race there since 1994, and the last time Texas elected a Democrat to the US Senate was back in 1988. But the strong performance of the “disciplined and studious” Talarico has rekindled Democrat dreams of turning Texas blue.

He's a deft communicator, and his centrist, positive style seems to appeal to a wide variety of voters. In the words of the veteran political adviser Mark McKinnon, Talarico could be the “Moses who leads the Lone Star Democrats out of the desert they've been in for 35 years”. This would also give them a “wider than expected path” to flipping the Republican majority in the Senate in November.

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Talarico has “clear gifts as a campaigner”, said Lauren Egan on The Bulwark. He seems popular across the various ideological factions of his party and with Latino voters, an increasingly important demographic. But Democrats shouldn't get their hopes too high. They've been let down by Texas candidates before. Remember Beto O'Rourke? Chances are, Talarico will also crash and burn, said National Review. Sure, he's a polished performer whose overt Christianity marks him out from most Democrats, but voters ultimately care about policies – and Talarico's agenda is just too progressive. He has talked of God being “non-binary”, and argues that the Bible is pro-abortion. He uses the trendy gender-neutral term “Latinx”. That stuff won't fly in Texas.

As a conservative Christian, I disagree with Talarico on many matters of theology and ideology, said David French in The New York Times. But it's inspiring to be reminded that “Christian politicians can actually act like Christians”. Talarico campaigned with genuine compassion, declaring in his primary-night speech that he was “tired of being told to hate my neighbour”, tired of “politics as blood sport, politics as trolling and owning, politics as total war”. Compare that with Maga Christianity, where “cruelty in the name of Trumpism is no vice”. Talarico may not win the Senate seat in November, but he has given a lot of people hope, by showing that “kindness still has a place in the public square”.