Talarico participated in an early-March strategy Zoom hosted by Powered by People. The session included O’Rourke, Talarico, and Aimee Prudhomme, the Powered by People executive director.
Additionally, during episode 22 on April 15, 2026, Prudhomme discussed their goal: “Our main mission is to flip the state of Texas … so goes the state, so goes the country.”
In these sessions, strategy details emerged.
Voter Outreach Strategy
Prudhomme outlined plans to target voters, specifically focusing on “a few demographics,” including “Black churches throughout the state is something we’re launching this year that we really think is going to make a big difference.”
“We’re trying to find likely Democratic voters,” explained Prudhomme, adding that this means that they go “to where those people are …. drag shows … we are there, we are at those events.”
O’Rourke suggested that they need to work on trying to change the outcome of this election by making “James the next senator from the state of Texas, get our country back from the people who are trying to steal in front of our eyes right now, and, um, feel good about yourself, right?”
In another discussion in March, O’Rourke spoke on The Briefing with Jen Psaki, O’Rourke called Jasmine Crockett a “generational talent” who “made James an even better candidate.”
Talarico’s Vote on Drag Performance Bill
When the Texas Legislature considered Senate Bill 12 in 2023, a measure that would ban “sexually oriented performances” — including public sex acts and simulated masturbation — in front of minors or on public property, state Rep. James Talarico voted “present” and stood with most House Democrats and the LGBTQ Caucus.
After the vote, Talarico told reporters he opposed parts of the legislation because he did not want it to target Texas drag queens, whom Talarico described as “some of the best in the nation.”
Talarico on Election Laws
In an interview in May on The Jamie Kern Lima Show, Talarico expressed worry about the election being “rigged” and “shenanigans being played.”
In a July 2021 appearance on Fox News Primetime, Talarico stated, “I oppose voter ID,” while arguing that Texas is one of the hardest places to vote in the country.
He has repeatedly described Texas voting laws, including voter ID requirements, as “voter suppression” baked into the system. Talarico has used strong language against certain Republican-backed bills, stating that he opposes them “with every fiber of his being.”
Talarico has also opposed poll watchers, saying, “I don’t think they should be in the polling place at all.”
Talarico has referred to illegal aliens as “my constituents.” He has also advocated for treating the southern border like a “front porch” with both welcome and security, noting that his illegal alien students in public education were more patriotic that American-born students.
Talarico’s “Christian” Faith
Talarico, a Presbyterian seminarian, frequently discusses his “Christian” faith on the campaign trail, as reported in-depth by The Dallas Express. He has argued whether God is “nonbinary,” that “our trans community needs abortion care too,” and describes “six biological variations” of gender, even stating that he is a “Christian who hates Christianity.”
Provided by Dallas Express
