Emily Compagno – A Fox News host’s on-air description of Texas Democratic U.S. Senate candidate James Talarico as “a demon in human skin” and claims about his views on meat sparked a wave of backlash online and from critics who urged Republicans to cool off heated rhetoric as
On Friday, Fox News personality Emily Compagno used language that critics say crossed a line—calling James Talarico “a demon in human skin” during an appearance on “Outnumbered,” and adding that he “doesn’t want anyone to eat meat,” which she described as “disqualifying for Texas.”
Talarico shot back quickly, saying the claim was untrue. He said, “I’ve been eating barbecue since before Ken Paxton’s first indictment.”
The exchange landed as the Texas Senate race for the Democratic nomination looks increasingly competitive in a state that’s often been treated as reliably Republican. Talarico. a member of Texas House of Representatives and a Presbyterian seminarian. is facing attacks that have intensified as the contest heats up. with a New York Times/Siena poll this week finding a dead heat.
Paxton’s record has fueled much of the argument inside the campaign—though the dispute now includes a new flashpoint: whether the rhetoric is going too far. Talarico has pointed to Ken Paxton’s long history of scandals. including an indictment on three felony counts in a fraud case and an impeachment. The Texas attorney general ducked a trial for nearly a decade and later reached a settlement that included paying $300. 000 in restitution and community service. He was ultimately acquitted by the state Senate on 16 articles of impeachment.
As the language around Talarico has turned more personal, senior Republicans have also amplified the temperature. Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick (R) said Talarico is “going to hell” for “blasphemy.” Separately, a pro-Paxton group has run what the backlash described as a creepy AI ad against him.
President Donald Trump has also stepped into the fight. He has attacked Talarico multiple times and this week announced a GOP midterm convention to be held in Dallas—something observers say signals that Paxton will need all the help he can get.
Critics on social media pushed back on Compagno’s “demon” framing. accusing Republicans of joining in on the very kind of heated language they often condemn from the other side. One post cited the contrast in messaging with the line “GOP: Don’t call us Nazis!. Also GOP: A fire, a fire is burning!. I hear the boot of Lucifer. I see his filthy Democratic face!” Another criticized the insistence that supporters see Talarico’s faith and temperament as evidence of something darker. saying that when “a literal demon” is described. the attack itself becomes the focus.
Several critics also warned that the rhetoric can have real-world consequences. One user wrote, “Republicans need to tone down the rhetoric. This kind of language can lead to political violence.” Others mocked the inconsistency of complaints about “dangerous” messaging from Democrats while endorsing insults such as “demon” for a Democratic candidate.
Even in a campaign where the facts of Paxton’s legal and political survival have been a dominant thread. the fight over words has become its own battleground. The contest’s tightness in Texas—shown by the dead heat in a New York Times/Siena poll—means every new escalation is likely to land with extra force. And Friday’s exchange left critics asking the same question in different forms: whether the language has become more extreme than the politics can justify.
Emily Compagno Outnumbered James Talarico Texas Senate race Ken Paxton Dan Patrick Donald Trump AI ad rhetoric backlash