James Talarico Beats Paxton, Ending Texas Democrats' Senate Drought Since 1988

1. Round Rock kid, theater kid

James Talarico was born May 17, 1989, in Round Rock. He graduated from McNeil High School, where he did speech and debate and played Danny Zuko in "Grease," according to his Wikipedia page.

2. He taught sixth-grade English

After UT Austin, Talarico joined Teach For America in 2011 and taught sixth-grade English at Rhodes Middle School in San Antonio, per Wikipedia. On the campaign trail he often told the story of a student named Justin, who arrived in his classroom after being kicked out of fifth grade. Talarico welcomed him with a handshake.

3. He's a seminary student

Talarico earned a master's in theological studies from Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary in 2025 and is now studying for a Master of Divinity, Wikipedia says. He's a Presbyterian who has called Popes Leo XIV and Francis his "spiritual heroes."

4. A school-funding lawmaker

Elected to the Texas House in 2018, Talarico co-authored House Bill 3, the 2019 school-finance law that funded teacher raises and full-day pre-K for eligible 4-year-olds. He also opposed putting the Ten Commandments in classrooms, according to Wikipedia.

5. The interviews TV wouldn't air

In February, Stephen Colbert said CBS barred him from airing a Talarico interview, so he posted it to YouTube instead. A September Jimmy Kimmel segment featuring Talarico also went to YouTube after the FCC threatened the equal-time rule, per Wikipedia.

6. He beat two big names

Talarico defeated Rep. Jasmine Crockett in the primary, then Attorney General Ken Paxton in November. On election night, Talarico said, "We were the underdogs in this race," according to The Texas Tribune. Full results are available in the race story.

7. He knows his history

Texas Democrats had waited since 1988 for a Senate win. On X, Talarico posted: "Luci Baines Johnson came to celebrate last night. We just took back her dad's Senate seat."