Texas Democratic Senate nominee James Talarico said he believes state laws have stacked the deck against him as he seeks to become the first Democrat to win statewide office in Texas since 1994.
"Means you're probably going to have to win by a little more than we would have to in a completely free and fair election," Talarico said in a podcast interview.
Talarico faces Republican candidate Ken Paxton, the current Texas attorney general, who has widespread name recognition. As of March, Talarico had raised $40 million for his campaign.
"We're going to have to overcome that. We're going to have to out-organize, out-work, out-hustle that voter suppression if we're going to win," Talarico said in the interview.
What the Right Is Saying
Republican officials pushed back sharply on Talarico's characterization of Texas elections.
"James Talarico wants illegal aliens to vote in our elections," Zach Kraft, a Republican National Committee spokesperson, told Fox News Digital. "While Talarico puts illegals first, Ken Paxton will continue to put Texans first by working with President Trump to get the SAVE America Act signed into law and ensure foreign citizens never vote in American elections."
The SAVE America Act is a national voter integrity bill championed by Congressional Republicans. As a state legislator, Talarico also voted against a bill that increased penalties for non-citizens voting in Texas elections from a Class A misdemeanor to a second-degree felony.
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton's office has been investigating more than 30 potential non-citizens who allegedly voted in the 2024 election, according to public statements from his office.
What the Left Is Saying
Talarico's position reflects a broader Democratic argument that Republican dominance in Texas stems from low turnout driven by election security measures rather than the state's conservative leanings.
"I will say that we already have a lot of voter suppression in Texas. It's baked into our laws," Talarico said. "Texas is one of the hardest places to vote in the country as a result. It's why we see such low voter turnout in our state compared to other states."
Talarico, who served in the Texas Legislature, voted against SB1, an election security bill passed after the COVID-19 pandemic that requires voters to provide specific identification numbers to register and vote, including either a Texas driver's license, an election identification certificate or the last four digits of a Social Security number. The law also banned drive-through voting and unsolicited mailing of ballot applications.
"They were all up against a rigged system," Talarico said, pointing to civil rights movements and labor organizers as examples of campaigns that succeeded despite structural obstacles. "So, if they can do that, we can certainly do that against this stacked deck."
What the Numbers Show
Texas does rank among the bottom five states for voter turnout, a figure that Democrats cite as evidence of suppressed participation. However, historical data from the United States Election Project shows participation has increased over time despite stricter ID requirements.
In the last presidential election, 56.6% of eligible Texas voters cast ballots. That exceeded turnout in 2016, 2012 and 2004, according to the Election Project data. In the 2022 midterm elections, 41.8% of eligible voters participated, surpassing participation levels from 2014, 2010, 2006 and 2002.
Texas has not elected a Democrat to statewide office since 1994, when voters last chose a Democratic governor. The state's voter ID laws have been upheld by federal courts, including the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals.
The Bottom Line
Talarico's comments highlight an ongoing debate about whether Texas voting laws suppress turnout or protect election integrity. He must overcome significant historical trends to win in November, as no Democratic candidate has carried a statewide race in three decades. His campaign has raised substantial funds but faces an opponent with deep name recognition and the backing of state Republican infrastructure. Both sides agree turnout will likely be the decisive factor in determining whether Talarico can accomplish what no Texas Democrat has done in 30 years.