Texas GOP rep on Talarico: ‘His views would kill Texas’

Texas Rep. Beth Van Duyne (R) said Sunday that Senate Democratic nominee James Talarico backs policies that would “kill” their state.

During an interview on “The Hill Sunday,” Van Duyne said Talarico is “pretty much a complete DSA candidate,” referring to the Democratic Socialists of America. Talarico has never been a member of the left-wing political group.

“His views would kill Texas,” Van Duyne told host Chris Stirewalt. “I don’t think the majority of Texans are going to agree that we need to think about trans kids all the time, that we need to put all the means of production in the government, that if you are a Christian, that you’re going to hate Christianity.”

Talarico, a Presbyterian minister, has leaned into his Christian faith on the campaign trail while arguing that Christians should not impose their religion on non-believers and those of other faiths.

The Texas state representative has also criticized Lone Star State Republicans for passing a ban on most forms of gender-affirming care for minors and has called for lawmakers to protect transgender children.

Talarico has not, though, publicly supported putting “all the means of production in government,” as Van Duyne claimed. The Senate nominee has called for raising taxes on the wealthiest Americans and corporations, increasing the federal minimum wage to $15 an hour and cracking down on corporate PACs, among other economic proposals.

Van Duyne argued Sunday that despite Talarico’s “crazy views,” those views are not “going to catch on” with enough voters in the state for the 37-year-old to become the first Democrat to win a Senate election in Texas since former Sen. Lloyd Bentsen (D-Texas) in 1988.

Decision Desk HQ gives Talarico a 49 percent chance of defeating Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, the GOP nominee.

Election handicapper Cook Political Report also shifted the race this week from “Lean Republican” to “Toss Up,” with less than three months before Election Day.