Republican National Committee chair Joe Gruters went after Texas Senate candidate James Talarico on Wednesday morning, calling him a “creep” and tying the race to fights over gender and religion as the Trump-backed primary victory sets up a showdown later this
On Wednesday morning, Joe Gruters didn’t sound like he was just selling a candidate. He sounded like he was trying to draw a hard line—right down the middle of Texas politics.
Republican National Committee chair Gruters launched into a televised attack on Texas Senate candidate James Talarico. calling him a “creep” and arguing Talarico wants to “mutilate” children. Gruters also zeroed in on Talarico’s vegan identity. saying it was a “cardinal sin in the Lone Star State. ” and added that Talarico “wants to put boys in girls locker rooms.”.
Gruters made the remarks during an interview on Newsmax. When asked how the RNC plans to keep Texas red. Gruters framed it as a simple matchup: “We keep it red because Talarico is a creep… he’s a vegan. He thinks God is non-binary, he wants to mutilate children. He wants to put boys in girls locker rooms. People are done with that,” he said.
The criticism also leaned on culture-war religious language. Gruters told viewers that Talarico’s approach reflects a liberal playbook that most Americans—and especially Texans—reject. Newsmax then aired a clip of Talarico saying, “God is both masculine and feminine and everything in between. God is non-binary. Trans children are God’s children. made in God’s own image.” The broadcast also showed a clip of Talarico saying there are six biological sexes.
As the interview unfolded. Gruters leaned into a nickname strategy. saying “Talafreako” was how he branded Talarico. a moniker he had used during an interview on Fox News a day earlier. When Newsmax replayed material from Talarico. co-host Marc Lotter punctuated the moment with a jab at the ad language. quipping. “You might as well put just a little disclaimer there. ‘Paid for by the Republican National Committee.’” Lotter then added. “There’s your ad. Mr. Chairman!”.
Gruters returned to the theme of Texas identity. He said “Talafreako” seemed more like a Californian than a Texan and argued Talarico would be better off representing one of the “super woke left-wing states.”
Talarico, for his part, denied this week that he’s a vegan, even as he has supported kids having trans surgeries—an overlap that, in Gruters’ telling, connects to the broader claims he made during the interview.
The timing also matters. Gruters’ remarks came the morning after Trump-backed Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton easily beat incumbent Senator John Cornyn in the GOP primary. Paxton will now face Talarico for the Senate later this year—turning a personal. culture-loaded attack into part of the campaign’s larger fight over identity. faith. and how far candidates are willing to go on questions involving transgender issues.
What Gruters delivered Wednesday wasn’t a measured critique. It was a rallying contrast: a Texas Republican message meant to make the coming general election feel less like a policy debate and more like a fight over what kind of country and what kind of state voters want.
Joe Gruters James Talarico Texas Senate Ken Paxton John Cornyn Republican National Committee Newsmax Trump-backed culture war transgender issues vegan locker rooms God is non-binary