Talarico Admits He 'Missed the Mark'

James Talarico is walking back his own words.

In a CBS interview Wednesday, Talarico acknowledged some of his past comments were mistakes. "There are some statements that I've made that I certainly regret. There are statements that I've made where I've missed the mark. I'll be the first to admit that," he said, according to The Daily Signal.

Specifically, he reversed course on the biological sex question. "I know there are two sexes, men and women," he now says.

This is the same candidate who, in resurfaced video, claimed there are "six biological sexes." He also said on camera that "the American flag is a complicated issue," that "the Southern border should be like our front porch" with "a giant welcome mat out front," and that Americans must reduce meat consumption as an existential priority — even declaring his campaign "a non-meat campaign."

Now he's distancing himself from all of it. In two weeks.

Paxton's Ad Puts It All on the Screen

Ken Paxton wasted no time. The day after clinching the Republican nomination by defeating four-term incumbent Sen. John Cornyn, Paxton dropped an attack ad stitching together Talarico's greatest hits, according to The Daily Signal. The ad included the six-sexes clip, the welcome mat border comment, the flag remarks, and the meat pledge.

Paxton's victory speech went further — calling Talarico "Talafreako," "Tofu Talarico," and "Low T Talarico." Talarico's defense: Paxton is "intentionally clipping my cringey comments to distract from his career of corruption." Those clips are real.

Trump Piles On — Immediately

Within hours of the runoff being called Tuesday night, President Trump took to Truth Social to call Talarico "the worst Texas candidate I have ever seen," according to The Guardian. Trump hit the expected notes — weak on crime, open borders advocate — and went straight for the vegan angle, claiming Talarico "dislikes meat, not exactly a good way to be if you're wanting to win an Election in Texas."

Talarico has pushed back on the vegan label. "I've been eating barbecue since before Ken Paxton's first indictment," he told a podcast earlier this week.

Senate Majority Whip John Barrasso called Talarico "a far-left extremist" who was "too radical" for Texas. Ohio Sen. Bernie Moreno, the likely incoming chair of the National Republican Senatorial Committee, called him "a far-left freak." Ted Cruz, who had stayed out of the primary, issued a statement backing Paxton.

Talarico Pivots Hard — '1,000 Supporters in Houston'

Meanwhile, Talarico isn't hiding. He launched a five-stop "The People vs. Ken Paxton Tour" this week, kicking off in Houston on Wednesday before roughly 1,000 supporters packed into a downtown dance club, according to ABC News.

The timing was deliberate. Wednesday was the third anniversary of Paxton's impeachment by the Republican-controlled Texas House on charges of corruption and abuse of office. Paxton was later acquitted by the state Senate on all 20 articles.

"Ken Paxton is the most corrupt politician in America," Talarico told the crowd. "He has failed the character test. He has put his own interests above the laws of Texas. Those are not my words, those are the words of Ken Paxton's fellow Republicans."

According to the Texas Tribune, Talarico also released an attack video titled "The People vs. Ken Paxton" the moment the Republican runoff was called Tuesday night. The general election strategy is clear: make this race a referendum on Paxton's scandals, not on Talarico's politics.

What Mainstream Coverage Is Getting Wrong

Left-leaning outlets are framing this as a genuine toss-up without adequately noting that Talarico's own past statements are radioactive in Texas. Texas hasn't elected a Democrat to the Senate since 1988.

Right-leaning outlets, meanwhile, are treating Paxton's acquittal as a full exoneration, which it legally is but politically isn't. Republican senators who voted to acquit included allies who were under intense pressure. The underlying conduct — using his office to benefit a wealthy donor — was never seriously disputed, only whether it met the impeachment threshold.

Both sides are also ignoring the "God is nonbinary" clip, where Talarico made theological claims that drew serious pushback. When challenged, Talarico told critics to "take it up with St. Paul" — a response that Daily Signal host Tony Kinnett dissected by pointing out that Paul consistently uses grammatically masculine terms for God in the original Koine Greek. Talarico has not addressed that argument directly.

What This Actually Means

Talarico is in the toughest position any candidate can be in: defending his own words while trying to make the race about someone else.

Paxton has real legal baggage. Talarico has real footage.

Republican operatives privately worried Paxton was a weaker candidate than Cornyn. But Talarico just handed them a playbook they didn't even have to write. He wrote it himself, on camera, over years.

This race matters beyond Texas. Democrats need a net gain of four Senate seats to reclaim the majority. Texas would be the prize. But walking back statements about biological sex two days into the general election is not a position that wins statewide elections in Texas in November.