Texas Democrat Senate candidate James Talarico seems to be softening his previously left-leaning views by criticizing former President Joe Biden for his failures on border security in a new campaign ad released on Monday.
In this advertisement, Talarico adopts a tough stance on the border, which contrasts sharply with his past comments, where he advocated for a significant reduction of Texas’ entire border security budget, as revealed in an old interview.
“I called out Joe Biden for failing us on the border,” Talarico states at the beginning of the ad.
However, when asked, Talarico’s campaign was unable to provide instances of him publicly criticizing Biden during his time in office. Notably, in a 2019 interview, he suggested reallocating Texas’ entire $800 million two-year border security budget toward public education.
JAMES TALARICO ADMITS DEMOCRATS TOOK ‘BORDER FOR GRANTED’ UNDER BIDEN
In that interview, he pointed out, “We’re also sending about $800 million per biennium to the border with Mexico for ‘increased border security.’” This amount represented the total funding allocated for combating illegal immigration at the time.
He remarked, “I’d rather take that money and put it back into public education and help increase the basic allotment, for instance.”
As he attempts to present himself more moderately—possibly recognizing that a progressive image might hinder his chances in Texas, which leans heavily Republican—Talarico’s shift in tone on immigration is a more recent development. The state is currently facing high rates of illegal immigration.
During his 2019 interview, he expressed skepticism about the effectiveness of merely increasing resources at the border, saying, “Putting a bunch of boats, planes and border patrol agents on the physical border is expensive and also does not solve the problem.”
It’s interesting how this interview resurfaced, especially considering the Department of Homeland Security reported that illegal border crossings hit a record low during the Trump administration in 2025, attributed to stricter enforcement measures.
Talarico has previously characterized certain lawmakers’ actions as mere political showmanship, stating, “Everyone will admit it’s just political grandstanding. Certain lawmakers want to appease extreme parts of their base.”
EXCLUSIVE: TALARICO CAUGHT ON TAPE GIGGLING ABOUT HIS CHURCH HOUSING ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS SET FOR DEPORTATION
Now, in his Senate run, Talarico labels himself a “border security” Democrat, despite a history of pushing back against border reforms. He, at one point, even called for dismantling Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), describing it as a “secret police force.”
He has referred to undocumented individuals as his “constituents” and has criticized Republican Texas Governor Greg Abbott’s border policies as “atrocities,” accusing the Governor of “hunting” undocumented immigrants. Talarico also claimed he “taught a lot of undocumented students” and suggested that those individuals were more patriotic than American citizens.
When questioned about his recent position changes, Talarico’s spokesperson explained that he is “the only candidate in this race who has unveiled a border security agenda endorsed by both Republican and Democratic border county sheriffs.”
His spokesperson added, “James supports stronger border security and immigration enforcement — it’s why he’s called for more border patrol agents and has said we should be arresting and deporting violent criminals and human traffickers — not moms and babies.”
Talarico briefly disappeared from the campaign trail this month, sparking rumors he was at a behavioral health center. He clarified his absence, stating he was recovering from the flu.
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Currently, Talarico is facing off against Republican Ken Paxton for the Senate seat in Texas, and as the midterm elections approach, the competition remains tight.
