James Talarico believes Zohran Mamdani should be a ‘template’ for Democrats nationwide

In an interview on the “Higher Learning” podcast in August 2025, shortly after Mamdani won the Democratic primary for New York City mayor, Talarico said Democrats should “adopt” Mamdani’s talking points. Mamdani’s platform included a number of far-left proposals, including rent freezes, city-operated grocery stores, free public transportation, and higher taxes.

Talarico has also spoken favorably about including Democratic socialists in his campaign. In a 2025 appearance on NewsNation’s “The Hill,” Talarico was asked whether his coalition included Democratic socialists. He responded by saying that Democrats need a “giant tent” that was “going to include some Democratic Socialists.”

The comments are among many past statements from Talarico that have drawn scrutiny during his campaign for Senate. Talarico has previously said that “radicalized white men are the greatest domestic terrorist threat in the country.” During the 2020 Black Lives Matter protests, he also called racism a virus, saying, “White skin gives me and every white American immunity from the virus. But we spread it wherever we go—through our words, our actions, and our systems. We don’t have to be showing symptoms—like a white hood or a Confederate flag—to be contagious.”

Talarico, a Presbyterian seminarian, has also made a number of controversial statements regarding Christianity. He has argued that transgenderism and abortion are acceptable under the religion, and has claimed that God is “non-binary.” He previously said during a Texas legislative hearing that “modern science recognizes” more than two biological sexes.

Despite the scrutiny over his past statements, Talarico remains in a closely contested race against Republican nominee Ken Paxton. A Fox News poll conducted at the end of September among likely Texas voters found Talarico leading Paxton 51 percent to 49 percent. The two-point difference is within the poll’s margin of error.