Politics
Resurfaced 2020 remarks on capitalism draw scrutiny to Texas Senate candidate James Talarico
Republican groups target Democratic nominee James Talarico over past criticisms of capitalism and fossil fuels, while his campaign defends him as a proud capitalist.
The short version
- Texas Democratic Senate nominee James Talarico is facing criticism over a resurfaced 2020 video in which he referred to capitalism as an oppressive system and predicted the end of the state's fossil fuel industry.
- Republican-aligned political action committees are using the comments to target Talarico in his general election race against Republican nominee Ken Paxton.
- Talarico's campaign responded by stating that he is a proud capitalist who has supported the oil industry and acknowledged missing the mark on past statements.
- The contest is currently rated as a toss-up and represents a competitive seat that could impact the Senate majority balance.
Key facts
- In a resurfaced 2020 video call with Sierra Club activists, James Talarico referred to capitalism, white supremacy, and climate change as oppressive systems and advocated for dismantling them.[Fox News · Fox News]
- During the same 2020 forum, Talarico compared the Texas oil and gas industry to 1980s cassette tapes and remarked that the industry would not last.[Fox News · Fox News]
- Outside political groups, including Lone Star Liberty PAC and the Senate Leadership Fund, seized on the comments following initial reporting by CNN.[Fox News · Fox News]
- Talarico campaign spokesperson J.T. Ennis stated that Talarico is a proud capitalist who has voted in support of the oil industry and previously acknowledged missing the mark on past statements.[Fox News · Fox News]
- A late July Fox News poll of registered voters found Talarico with 51% support compared to 48% for Republican nominee Ken Paxton.[Fox News · Fox News]