James Talarico claims Jesus' healing miracles prove government should pay for health insurance

Texas Senate candidate James Talarico cited the Bible to argue that Christianity supports government-run healthcare.

Speaking to a church crowd in DeSoto on July 20 in a video posted by his campaign titled “James Talarico Unveils Plan For Black Voters,” Talarico said the US should “finish the work of President Obama”  on healthcare.

“Because health care is a human right. It is not a privilege,” Talarico said.

“If you read our scriptures, if you read the New Testament, what does Jesus spend most of his time doing? It’s not preaching, it’s not teaching, it is healing. Healing the sick,” Talarico claimed. “And in Matthew 25, scripture says that’s how we will be judged and how we will be saved. By healing the sick, by feeding the hungry, by welcoming the stranger, by visiting the prisoner.”

Talarico’s campaign supports allowing every American to buy into Medicare through a nonprofit public option, while also expanding drug-price negotiations and capping out-of-pocket costs, a Breitbart report noted. Talarico described the issue as an “emergency across the state of Texas.”

This is the latest example in which Talarico, a Presbyterian seminary student, has warped the teachings of Christianity to justify his personal political beliefs. He previously argued in defense of his pro-abortion views on an episode of the Joe Rogan Experience by citing the virgin birth of Christ, saying God asked Mary for her consent before she became pregnant, which was “affirmation” that “creation has to be done with consent.”

Talarico has made many other comments that have drawn criticism from Christians, having previously described himself as a “Christian who hates Christianity.” He once argued that “God is nonbinary” and that “modern science recognizes” more than two biological sexes, claiming there are actually six.

Speaking at a church, he cited the Gnostic Gospel of Thomas, which he said was “omitted from the Bible by church officials.” The text includes a passage interpreted as stating that women must become men to enter Heaven.

Talarico is currently polling closely against Republican Attorney General Ken Paxton in the Senate race. According to a recent Fox News poll of Texas, Talarico is up 51 percent to 48 percent against Paxton, though that edge is within the survey’s margin of error.