Texas Democratic Senate candidate James Talarico is pushing back on Republican attacks suggesting he supports defunding the police, calling such characterization a "flat-out lie."
Republicans are confronting Talarico with resurfaced comments from a 2019 episode of the Trey Blocker Show, in which he suggested that a heavy police presence in schools without sufficient mental health professionals contributes to a "culture of violence."
The controversy emerges as Democrats seek to flip the critical Texas Senate seat blue for the first time in decades. Talarico secured the Democratic nomination after a primary victory over Rep. Jasmine Crockett and is set to face either incumbent Sen. John Cornyn or state Attorney General Ken Paxton in the general election, depending on the outcome of the May GOP primary runoff.
What the Left Is Saying
James Talarico's campaign has rejected Republican criticism as false, with spokesperson JT Ennis telling Fox News Digital that "James opposes defunding the police and has a proven track record voting to send billions of dollars to support law enforcement."
In his 2019 comments, Talarico emphasized that police should respond when "a crime has been committed, a law has been broken or there's an immediate danger to students," but argued that "law enforcement officials shouldn't be conducting behavior interventions." He stressed that officers "shouldn't be counseling students" because they are not trained for such tasks.
Talarico's 2019 bill, his first as a Texas House member, would have required school districts to maintain specific ratios of mental health professionals to police officers. Districts with more than 5,000 students would need four mental health workers per law enforcement officer, while smaller districts would require two to three per officer.
Ennis said the bill "supports the police by adding desperately needed mental health officials to help prevent tragic events like the mass shooting at Robb Elementary in Uvalde, Texas." Talarico has argued that his proposal aligns with recommendations from the Department of Education and Secret Service, which have identified relationship-building as more effective for preventing school shootings than hardening measures.
What the Right Is Saying
Republican National Committee spokesman Zach Kraft called Talarico's bill "a scary combination of two of James Talarico's favorite things," which he said are "defunding the police and pushing his woke agenda on kids."
Kraft told Fox News Digital that "Texans will have the same answer for Talarico at the ballot box that he had for police: 'We don't want you here.'"
In his 2019 comments, Talarico stated that concerns about school safety following shootings "has been channeled unproductively toward militarizing schools and toward kind of leaning into a culture of violence and adding more law enforcement officials onto campuses." Republicans have seized on this language to argue Talarico opposes law enforcement.
The GOP hopes to defend its Senate majority by highlighting Talarico's more controversial progressive stances, including past statements about immigration and social issues, to undermine his appeal to moderate voters.
What the Numbers Show
Talarico's 2019 bill proposed specific staffing ratios for schools with enrollments of 5,000 or more students: four mental health professionals for every law enforcement official. Schools with 5,000 to 500 students would require three mental health workers per police officer, while those with fewer than 500 students would need two per officer.
The bill stalled in committee and never reached the House floor for a vote, despite what Talarico described as bipartisan support.
Texas is considered a critical battleground for control of the U.S. Senate, with both parties investing significant resources in the race. The winner will either maintain or flip a seat that could determine majority control of the chamber.
Talarico's campaign has emphasized his voting record on law enforcement funding, though specific dollar amounts for his support of police budgets were not detailed in the source material.
The Bottom Line
The 2019 resurfaced comments represent a central challenge for Talarico's campaign: balancing his progressive base with appeals to moderate voters in a state that has not elected a Democratic U.S. Senator in decades.
Republicans are betting that tying Talarico to defunding police rhetoric, even as he denies such positions, will undermine his ability to attract swing voters in November. The party has a track record of successful opposition research on candidate past statements.
Talarico's campaign argues his positions support law enforcement by adding mental health resources, not reducing police presence. The outcome of the May GOP primary between Cornyn and Paxton will shape the general election dynamics, as both candidates represent different Republican ideological branches.
What to watch: Whether Talarico can maintain support among progressive voters while convincing moderates he is not aligned with defunding the police, and how Republican advertising frames his 2019 comments in the general election.