James Talarico’s Google Searches Spike After Canceled Colbert Interview

AP Photo/Talia Sprague

Texas State Rep. James Talarico (D) has seen a massive boost in online intrigue as a result of his canceled TV interview with Stephen Colbert.

On Monday night, Colbert opened The Late Show by revealing he initially planned on airing the interview on the broadcast. That plan changed when CBS’s lawyers stepped in to yank the interview. The host, just a few months away from the show’s finale in May, accused the Trump administration of silencing voices critical of the president.

The full interview was later posted on the official YouTube channel of The Late Show.

As a result of Colbert’s latest feud with the Trump administration, interest in Talarico has soared. At the time of writing, Google queries for Talarico’s name were the highest they’ve been in the past year. In September, Talarico announced his run for U.S. Senate. He’s set to take on U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett in the state’s Democratic primary.

Google Trends grades interest on a 100-point scale, meaning a score of 100 signifies peak interest in a given time frame. Talarico’s interest for the last week, month and year peaked on February 17.

Crockett also enjoyed a slight boost as a result of the controversy. Her interest score reached 37 on Tuesday, Crockett’s highest since the middle of January.

Screenshot via Google Trends

Texas’s Senate race will be among the most closely-monitored elections of the year. As noted in a report from The Guardian, a Democrat has not won a statewide election in the state in more than three decades, and President Donald Trump’s continuing slide in the polls could lead to a stunning upset by either Crockett or Talarico.

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