Texas Democrat Denies He Called Colin Allred a ‘Mediocre Black Man’: ‘Mischaracterization of a Private Conversation’

AP Photo/Talia Sprague

Texas state Rep. James Talarico (D) responded Monday evening to a viral video from one of his fellow Texas Democrats, denying the accusations against him as a “mischaracterization of a private conversation.”

The kerfuffle began with a social media post by Colin Allred, a former NFL player who served in Congress for six years before unsuccessfully challenging Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) in the 2024 election.

“Hey [James Talarico],” Allred wrote along with a waving hand emoji, “don’t come for me unless I send for you.” In the attached video, Allred excoriated Talarico for allegedly calling him a “mediocre Black man” in a conversation about Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-TX).

Both Talarico and Crockett are battling in the Democratic primary in the Texas Senate race this year; the Republicans have their own primary fight between incumbent Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) and Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton (R-TX).

“I understand that James Talarico had the temerity and the audacity to say to a Black woman that he had signed up to run against a mediocre Black man—meaning me—not a formidable, intelligent Black woman, meaning Jasmine Crockett,” said Allred in the video.

In Allred’s video, he concluded by saying that he “wasn’t gonna get involved in this race,” but after hearing Talarico’s comments, he urged his followers to “go vote for Jasmine Crockett.”

The Texas Tribune reported that the claims that Talarico had called Allred a “mediocre Black man” seemed to come from a TikTok post by a political content creator named Morgan Thompson. Multiple political commentators expressed skepticism about the reliability of Thompson’s claims, but Allred’s video went viral nonetheless — including being merrily boosted by Paxton and other Texas Republicans.

Later Monday, Talarico posted a statement through his spokesperson denying he made those comments about Allred and urging Texas Democrats to work together on the “same team.”

Talarico’s statement said:

This is a mischaracterization of a private conversation. In my praise of Congresswoman Crockett, I described Congressman Allred’s method of campaigning as mediocre — but his life and service are not. I would never attack him on the basis of race.

As a Black man in America, Congressman Allred has had to work twice as hard to get where he is. I understand how my critique of the Congressman’s campaign could be interpreted given this country’s painful legacy of racism, and I care deeply about the impact my words have on others.

I have always said that, despite our disagreements, I deeply respect Congressman Allred. We’re all on the same team.

At the time of publication, Allred had not yet reacted to Talarico’s statement on his X account.

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