'We're a multicultural melting pot': Rep. James Talarico defends inclusive vision for America

Democratic Rep. James Talarico is back in the national spotlight after Republicans picked Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton to face him in the midterms. The GOP has taken aim at Talarico's past controversial remarks on gender, religion, and veganism, seemingly setting the tone for the election battle. As Talarico is fighting back, a recent clip from his 2025 appearance on Joe Rogan's podcast is going viral, where he explains why America should be inclusive. 

Immediately after winning his primary, Paxton began blasting former remarks from Talarico's archives across social media, including his comments like "God is binary," and the "Bible is silent on abortion," casting the Democratic leader out of step with most Texans. Talarico, on the other hand, recently admitted that he may have "missed the mark" with some of his previous comments, but he largely defended his political stance, which he explained in Rogan's podcast. "We were not founded as a Christian nation. We were founded as a nation where you are free to be a Christian or a Jew or a Muslim or a Sikh or Buddhist or an Atheist," he said. "That’s the promise of America that we are this multicultural melting pot," he told the podcaster.

He further expressed that he sees the political battle as more of a "top vs bottom" than "right vs left." He explained that Americans are pitted against each other by those in power, as it protects their wealth and allows them to be in control. Hearing his thoughts, Rogan, who endorsed Trump for his second term, quickly threw his support behind a potential presidential bid of the Democrat. "James Talarico, you need to run for President," Rogan said. "We need someone who is actually a good person," he added. 

The upcoming mid-term elections are set to be a showdown for Texans, and religion is expected to be at the core of the debate. In his remarks celebrating his victory on Tuesday night, Paxton referred to Talarico by a string of mocking nicknames, including "Tofu Talarico," referring to his veganism campaign, "Six-gender Jimmy," a reference to Talarico's comment of there being more than two genders, and  "James Tala-freako."

Meanwhile, Talarico has fought back by taking aim at Paxton's past scandals, including his Texas impeachment, allegations of infidelity, a high-voltage divorce, and more. "If Ken Paxton is worried about freaks, he should stop giving Epstein-style sweetheart deals to pedophiles," Talarico said in an interview with CBS News, referring to the case of Adam Hoffman, a guilty sex offender who cut a deal with Paxton's office to get out of jail and not register as a sex offender. "Ken Paxton is the most corrupt politician in America, and it is costing Texans, it’s endangering our children, and it must end. The Epstein class has no place in Texas," Talarico added. 

With the race heating up already, Talarico seems to have gained fresh momentum as both the Cook Political Report and Sabato's Crystal Ball at the University of Virginia's Center for Politics shifted their ratings for the Texas Senate race from "likely ​Republican" to "lean Republican," in favor of the Democrat.