James Talarico Is Not Accountable for His Past Comments — You Can Quote Him on That

James Talarico (D-TX) just had a network interview with NBC News, where a familiar theme came up.

White House correspondent Garrett Haake caught up with the U.S. Senate hopeful at a counter-programming photo-op food drive he staged in Dallas, where he asked the candidate about some of his past inflammatory comments.

Specifically, he challenged Talarico about his desire to dismantle capitalism. Haake intolerantly played a clip of Talarico’s direct quote, to which the candidate explained:

“So I’ve missed the mark on statements I’ve made in the past… I’ll be the first to admit that.”

If that quote seems to carry an echo, it is for good reason. That phrase is used with such frequency that it makes one wonder if he is on the spectrum politically. Talarico uses “missed the mark” with the kind of elan that Jen Psaki used to rely on with “circle back” while White House press secretary.

This is a common refrain from the Austin-based Democrat, as he has a passel of past comments to unpack as he makes an arduous journey to the middle from his far left-wing past. He seems to have “missed the target” more often than a myopic stormtrooper.

Recently, we saw Talarico on Fox News, where he spoke with Brooke Taylor, and a familiar refrain was spotted during their discussion. Brooke brought up his comments in the past about there being at least six genders, and Talarico clarified his current position.

“I’ve missed the mark on some of my past statements. I will be the first to admit it.”

At CNN, another quixotic Talarico position was addressed. He previously declared that oil and gas were outmoded energy sources, and that reality is not going to last. He likened those businesses to “being the leader in cassette tapes in the 1980s.”

To be charitable, that is a less-than-savvy position to take in his state when the jobs in oil and gas number close to half a million. It’s as if Talarico forgets he is running in Texas. Why not also come out and suggest banning brisket while wearing an Oklahoma Sooners hat?

So, when he was crudely asked to explain this anti-crude position from CNN, we got a familiar response.

Talarico campaign tells CNN his “cringey,” past comments “missed the mark,” and he’s a capitalist who supports oil and gas.

— Andrew Kaczynski (@KFILE) September 1, 2026

Earlier this summer, Talarico sat down with Ed O’Keefe from CBS News, where he was pressed on another topic, the odd stance that God is non-binary. To that, he resorted to what has become his trademarked automaton programming response.

“There are statements that I’ve made where I’ve missed the mark; I’ll be the first to admit that,” Talarico told O’Keefe.

Recalibration has been the common through-line in the Talarico campaign. The man who declared his campaign would be vegan is now portrayed as a voracious carnivore. The pro-trans cheerleader today thinks allowing males in women’s sports is uncompetitive. He even shifted his stance on wanting money out of Texas politics.

OK, technically, with that one, he may be consistent. He was actually hoovering up cash from Silicon Valley executives and California celebrities, so he can avoid the contradiction.

What has been the amusingly attempted dodge is that Ken Paxton and Republicans are blamed for bringing up these items on the campaign trail. Yes, how DARE they offer up his own words to describe the man.

From ABC News:

Talarico replied that “Ken Paxton is clipping my past cringey comments to distract from his career of corruption,” as part of a “playbook” of “distraction and division.” When pressed on his comments, Talarico replied that they were “meant to be deliberately provocative” and that he believes “you can’t use human categories to define God.” He said that Republicans are seizing on the comments “to try and distract from the corrupt system that Ken Paxton embodies.”

What is remarkable is how this is an ever-expanding tabulation of quotes and platforms Talarico supported that he needs to go over and completely renovate for the sake of the election. It appears the shorter list for his campaign is the policies about which he has remained consistent.

As more of his sham campaign is exposed, it is likely that when Texans are in the voting booth, their pens may miss the mark concerning the bubble beside Talarico’s name.

This is an opinion piece. The views expressed in this article are those of just the author.

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