James Talarico, a Democratic state representative and candidate for U.S. Senate in Texas, is facing criticism after conservative commentators unearthed social media posts from his time as a sixth-grade public school teacher in San Antonio showing classroom assignments involving former President Barack Obama.
In a Facebook post dated Nov. 13, 2012, Talarico wrote, "Today, we finished writing our Obama memoirs," explaining that students were instructed to write a memoir of Election Night from the perspective of a member of the Obama family. The assignment was displayed on what Talarico called "Mr. Talarico's Wall of Fame," featuring more than a dozen memoirs along with photos of Obama and his family, presidential seals, and Obama's campaign emblem.
The assignment is drawing scrutiny as Talarico seeks to flip a critical Senate seat blue in what would be Texas's first Democratic senate victory in decades. He is running against either incumbent Sen. John Cornyn or state Attorney General Ken Paxton, depending on the outcome of the Republican primary runoff in May.
What the Right Is Saying
Conservatives have called the assignment inappropriate for a public school classroom. Corey DeAngelis, a school choice advocate and research fellow at the Heritage Foundation, called the assignment "disqualifying" for a Senate candidate. "What Talarico was doing as an 'educator' is deeply concerning," wrote conservative commentator Steve Guest on social media.
The National Republican Senatorial Committee also weighed in, asking: "James Talarico made his public school students write 'Obama memoirs' and encouraged them to watch the DNC. What else was he telling Texas kids in his classroom?" Critics have also pointed to other posts from Talarico's teacher account, including a 2011 "free thinker" display featuring Obama, Bill Gates, Sonia Sotomayor and Julián Castro, but no Republican or conservative figures.
What the Left Is Saying
Talarico's campaign dismissed the criticism as a political attack designed to distract from policy differences. Press secretary JT Ennis said in a statement: "John Cornyn, Ken Paxton, and the billionaires who prop them up are scared of James Talarico for good reason: our campaign is building a movement poised to change the politics of this state and take power back for working people. While they spend their time lobbing stale attacks to mislead Texans, we are uniting the people of Texas to win in November."
Supporters note that Talarico, 35, has emerged as a rising star in Texas Democratic politics, winning praise for his progressive platform that includes expanding voting rights and advocating for public education. His campaign has emphasized his background as a public school teacher as part of his appeal to working families across the state.
What the Numbers Show
The Facebook posts in question were made between 2011 and 2012, when Talarico was teaching sixth grade at a public school in San Antonio. The Obama memoir assignment was completed on Nov. 13, 2012, shortly after Obama's re-election victory. A separate post from Nov. 16, 2012, showed the Wall of Fame display with the Obama memoirs.
Talarico is one of two major candidates seeking the Democratic nomination for Texas's U.S. Senate seat, though party leaders have largely consolidated around his candidacy. The general election is expected to be highly competitive in the traditionally Republican-leaning state. The primary runoff between Cornyn and Paxton will occur in May, with the winner likely facing Talarico in November.
The Bottom Line
The 2012 classroom assignment has become a point of contention as Talarico campaigns for one of Texas's two U.S. Senate seats. The controversy highlights the intersection of Talarico's background as an educator and his current political ambitions, with conservatives framing the assignment as inappropriate partisan activity in a public school setting. Talarico's campaign has characterized the attacks as political desperation from opponents who trail in polls. The assignment is likely to feature in campaign advertising regardless of who emerges as the Republican nominee from the May primary runoff.