Texas Senate General Election — Candidate Comparison

James is an eighth-generation Texan, former middle school teacher, and Presbyterian seminarian. As a state representative, he’s led the fight against the billionaire mega-donors and puppet politicians who have taken over Texas. Now, he’s running for U.S. Senate to take his fight against corruption to Washington and win power back for working people. Before I was a politician, I was a public school teacher. I taught sixth grade Language Arts at Rhodes Middle School on the westside of San Antonio. The westside is a beautiful, historic Mexican-American neighborhood. It’s also one of the poorest zip codes in Texas. Every day, my students struggled heroically to overcome poverty and systems designed to hold them back...

I’ve led the fight against the billionaire mega-donors that have rigged the system against working Texas families. And I’m the only member of the Texas Legislature who has never taken corporate PAC money. Now, as those same billionaire mega-donors take over the federal government, we need more fighters in Washington who will take power back for working people. That’s what my mom showed me on the eastside of Austin. That’s what my students showed me on the westside of San Antonio. And together, that is what Texans will show the country in 2026.

Politics feels corrupt because it is. Billionaire mega-donors aren’t just buying yachts and jets — they’re buying power, and they’re using that power to rig our political system. Billionaires and their giant corporations pour millions of dollars into campaign contributions and corporate PACs to elect politicians who will do their bidding. In return, they get tax loopholes that save themselves money — and the government makes up for the lost revenue by raising taxes on the rest of us or ...

Taxes & Cost of Living. I was born to a single mom who worked overtime at a hotel to support me. We lived in a little apartment in East Austin. There wasn’t room for a nursery, so I slept in a crib in her closet. She was so proud of that closet. She decorated it with pictures and toys — no one was gonna tell her it wasn’t a nursery! As a former public school teacher, I know what it’s like to work early mornings and late nights in an underpaid, stressful job. I know what it’s like to...

Public Education. Before I ran for office, I was a public school teacher. I taught 6th-grade language arts on the Westside of San Antonio — one of Texas’s poorest zip codes. When I entered the classroom, the Texas Legislature had just gutted the public education budget by $5 billion — so I had 45 kids in one classroom. There weren’t enough desks for everyone, so some of my students sat on the air conditioning unit. In the richest country on the planet, I knew that was unacceptable...

Health Care. When I was 28 years old, I almost died. I was running in my first race for the Texas House. I decided to walk the entire length of my district — 25 miles in one day — holding town halls along the way. I wasn’t worried about my ability to finish the walk — I hike Big Bend every year! But about halfway through, I started feeling nauseous and fatigued. I threw up a couple of times on the way, but figured I was just dehydrated. Somehow, I finished. When I got home, I slept ...

Freedom, Family & Faith. Politicians like John Cornyn and Ken Paxton claim to stand for freedom, family, and faith. But you can’t stand for freedom and control what we say, what we read, and what we do with our own bodies. You can’t stand for family and vote against paid family leave, affordable child care, or the right of every American to marry who they love. And you can’t stand for faith and then warp and weaponize religion to hurt our neighbors. I’m a Presbyterian seminarian studying to...

Immigration & Border Security. I’m an eighth-generation Texan. My family has been here since it was Mexico. We have deep ties to the border — my mother grew up in Laredo, and much of our family still lives there. We Texans understand immigration better than most Americans — both its challenges and its benefits. Most of us agree on what should happen. Our border should be like a front porch — it should have a welcome mat out front and a lock on the door. We can both welcome the stranger...

Social Media, AI & Tech. Our government has a role to play in ensuring technology makes our lives easier, safer, and more productive. America should be the world’s innovation leader — but it shouldn’t come at the cost of our children’s safety, our workers’ livelihoods, or the reliability of the news we consume. Social media was created to bring us together and keep us informed, but it has evolved into something else. Predatory algorithms elevate the most extreme voices on all sides to...

Public Safety & Justice. We all deserve to live in a safe neighborhood. And as your Senator, your safety will always be my top priority. Public safety means ensuring law enforcement has the resources to investigate and prosecute crime. It means passing commonsense gun safety laws to keep firearms out of the hands of criminals. And it means listening to police chiefs when they tell us we will all be safer when we fund programs like mental health care, housing support, addiction...

Labor & Business. When my younger sister was born, she was 10 weeks premature and required around-the-clock care. Our mom didn’t have access to family leave, so while she was with my sister in the NICU, the hotel she worked at called her and fired her over the phone. So there she was — no job, mounting medical bills, and a baby struggling to survive. Thankfully, my sister got better. But things have gotten worse for workers in this country. Workers and small businesses keep our economy...

Rural Investment. My family is from rural Texas – from the small towns and agricultural communities that built this great state. Every Texas community contributes to this state’s success. But not every community is being given the opportunity to share in it. Our leaders have turned their backs on rural Texas — failing to keep rural hospitals from shuttering, stand up to the private school voucher scams that are siphoning off funding from rural public schools, or make the basic investments...

July 28, 2026: “In the Senate, I’ll keep fighting for our tiny Texans.” (in the context of childcare costs and a prior state bill cutting property taxes for childcare centers).

July 19, 2026: “I’ll fight to lower healthcare costs for everyone — because healthcare is a human right.” (while supporting a mother of six facing high medical bills for cancer treatment).

June 17, 2026: “When we win, the first bill I’m filing is a comprehensive anti-corruption package: Overturn Citizens United / Ban corporate PACs and super PACs / Ban members of Congress from trading stocks.”

April 29, 2026: “When we win, the first bill I’m filing is a national ban to end gerrymandering once and for all.”

February 3, 2026: “That’s what I’ve done in the Texas Legislature, and that’s exactly what I’ll do in the U.S. Senate.” (referring to standing up to bullies, as taught by his mother).

January 23, 2026: “I know what it means to fight for my life. In the Senate, I’ll fight for yours.” (in the context of his Type 1 diabetes diagnosis, high insulin costs, and having capped insulin at $25/month in the state Legislature).

January 16, 2026: “I’m announcing my plan to take on our broken, corrupt political system: Ban corporate PACs & super PACs Ban lawmakers from trading stocks And require every member of Congress to hold annual town halls / This is how ...

January 5, 2026: “Together, we’re going to win this race and fight for working people in the U.S. Senate.”

January 5, 2026: “I will never vote to send someone’s son or daughter to war to make oil executives richer.” (regarding a conflict in Venezuela).

"That's what I've done in the Texas Legislature, and that's exactly what I’ll do in the U.S. Senate." @JamesTalarico, 2026-02-03