In Red Texas, Talarico Makes Faith Part Of His Democratic Appeal
WACO, Texas — A private Christian college in a historically red state isn’t usually a campaign stop for a Democratic candidate. But James Talarico, the Democratic candidate for Senate in Texas, did just that, making it a priority to visit Baylor University, the largest Baptist university in the nation.
Talarico’s Christian faith — combined with his progressive agenda — has gotten him plenty of attention in recent months. For decades, Republican Party policies have connected with a strong evangelical Christian voter base. These policies included opposition to abortion and LGBTQ rights.
Talarico is challenging this notion by proudly prclaiming his Christian faith. If he beats Republican Attorney General Ken Paxton in the general election in November, Talarico would be the first Democrat elected to the U.S. senate from Texas since 1988.
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As a member of the Presbyterian Church and a seminarian at Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary, Talarico is part of a broader form of Christianity that aligns most closely with progressive values. Often characterized as a mainline Christian, these are denominations that are typically concerned with justice and equality and tend to be more politically liberal on abortion and sexuality.
Historically, they have struggled to retain members and have had few clergy members in political office. But Talarico’s emergence, along with that of several other mainline Protestant candidates, reflects a membership that is still flickering and a public willing to vote for these type of Democrats.
More than 1,000 students and faculty members attended the Sept. 16 event at Baylor, during which Talarico spoke for just 15 minutes. As he addressed the crowd, he spoke about a rigged economic system and his plan to make necessary economic milestones attainable once again. “Make Life Affordable Again” was written on red signs distributed among attendees. Talarico did not mention his own faith or any faith-related topics at Baylor, instead focusing on wealth disparity.
“The real fight in this country is not left versus right,” Talarico told the crowd. “It’s top versus bottom.”
For Talarico’s supporters, faith is central to their endorsement. Jeremiah Ocloo, a freshman biochemistry pre-med student and a Catholic, said of Talarico: “Jesus loves everyone, and that’s how Talarico operates.”
James Talarico fans gathered on Sept. 16 at Baylor University. (Photo by Luke Reinkensmeyer)
He cited affordable health care as an important issue, as did Jake Mitchell, a junior political science student and Methodist. Mitchell also called Talarico a “pillar of faith in the community,” adding that he leads Christians to advocate for Medicaid and other government programs.
In the past, Talarico has used Scripture, such as Matthew 23 — “the greatest among you will serve” — to defend his politics. In office, he hopes to outlaw super PACs, provide a universal public Medicare buy-in option for everyone and raise the federal minimum wage. At the same time, Talarico promotes abortion and LGBTQ rights, positions that many Christians see as warning signs of inauthentic Christianity.
Talarico is unafraid to use Scripture to defend his views and has even placed Scripture in a progressive, modern context with statements such as “God is nonbinary,” which has added to the controversy among his critics and political opponents.
Before the event began, students and faculty lined the walls of Baylor’s Welcome Center. While they waited, a pro-life group on campus, Bears for Life, held a protest.
“At first, when I heard about Talarico, I was really interested,” said Owen Roos, one of the protesters. “But the more I started learning about him, the more I realized what he was saying about being a centrist was a facade.”
Cameron Paschki, another protester, said, “There are conservative issues that are central as Christians to believe. I do not believe you can be a Christian and not support the right to life of all human beings God has created.”
For Talarico’s supporters, his stance on abortion, along with his progressive views on gender, gives them pause. But the consensus is that those issues should stay out of politics. Graduate student Carlos Quiroz said he does not agree with abortion.
Nonetheless, he said, that “it’s not a politician’s job to tell people what to do. God has given us free agency.”
Julian Campos, a junior at Baylor, said that “as a Christian it is important to love each other.” He said people who do not align with gender norms are still “children of God,” and treating them differently is “not OK.”
Luke Landskov, a senior, said he sees Talarico’s campaign success in how they have used “social media, where a lot of sound bites can go viral.” He said Talarico has played it very well, leveraging his unique profile as an outsider in a traditionally red state.
But he warned that Talarico offers “a watered-down version of Christianity,” using it “as a voting mechanism.”
Luke Reinkensmeyer is a student at Baylor University and an intern at Religion Unplugged.