James Talarico seeks U.S. Senate seat in Nov. 3 election

State Rep. James Talarico is running for U.S. Senate in Texas as a Democrat in the Nov. 3 general election.

Talarico faces Republican Ken Paxton and Libertarian Ted Brown, according to BallotReady election data. Missouri City and Stafford voters will see the race on their ballots.

Candidate information

Party: Democratic
Office sought: U.S. Senate, Texas
Current office: State representative, District 50, Texas House of Representatives (since 2018)
Birthplace: Round Rock, Texas
Education: High school diploma, McNeil High School; bachelor's degree in government, University of Texas; master's degree in education policy, Harvard University
Personal: Talarico is a type 1 diabetic, according to his Texas House biography.
Recognition: Named one of the Top 10 Best Legislators by Texas Monthly magazine, according to his Texas House biography.

Experience and public service

Talarico has served in the Texas House since 2018. He sits on the Public Education Committee, the Juvenile Justice and Family Issues Committee and the Calendars Committee, according to his Texas House biography.

His biography states he passed legislation to cap insulin copays in Texas at $25 a month and passed a law to import low-cost prescription drugs from Canada. He also passed laws to combat teen fentanyl overdoses, ban reality TV policing, increase accountability within the Texas Juvenile Justice Department and give all incarcerated minors in Texas the opportunity to earn a high school diploma, according to the same source.

On the issues

The following positions are stated by Talarico on his campaign website and through BallotReady candidate responses.

Healthcare: Talarico said he supports allowing every American to join Medicare regardless of age. He said he wants to cap out-of-pocket costs for lifesaving drugs, regulate pharmacy benefit managers, increase price transparency and incentivize generic drug development. He said he supports codifying Roe v. Wade and protecting access to contraception and IVF.

Taxes and cost of living: Talarico said he wants to lower property taxes and expand the Child Tax Credit and the Earned Income Tax Credit. He said he supports raising the corporate tax rate and ending tax loopholes that allow large corporations to pay no federal income tax. He also said he wants to make billionaires "pay their fair share," including by ending what he called the "buy, borrow, die" loopholes. He said he wants to repeal what he called the Trump tariffs, which he said are making groceries, cars and clothing more expensive.

Education: Talarico said he wants to establish universal pre-K for every 3- and 4-year-old and protect federal funding for special education students. He said he opposes school voucher programs. He supports grants to encourage public schools to adopt evidence-based strategies like phonics and intensive tutoring.

Immigration: Talarico said he supports securing the border and making it easier to come to the country legally. He said he wants to prioritize deporting criminals, gang members and human traffickers while creating a path to citizenship for long-term immigrants and certain groups like spouses and DREAMers.

Government reform: Talarico said he supports congressional term limits, banning members of Congress from trading individual stocks and establishing independent redistricting commissions.