Talarico regrets – Texas Democratic U.S. Senate nominee James Talarico said he regrets comments from his past, including a remark describing God as “nonbinary,” as he prepares to face Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton in November’s general election.
James Talarico didn’t wait long after Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s runoff victory to confront the remarks that helped fuel backlash.
In a video released on social media Tuesday night, Talarico reacted to Paxton being nominated as his opponent for the November election. Days later, he sat for an interview with CBS News’ Ed O’Keefe, released on YouTube on May 28—after Paxton defeated Sen. John Cornyn in the Texas runoff election.
Talarico will face Paxton in the November general election.
During the interview, O’Keefe pressed him on a past comment that drew widespread attention: Talarico had referred to God as “nonbinary.”
“I think I was being intentionally provocative with that statement,” Talarico said. “But what it means is that God can’t be defined by human categories.”
He was then asked about whether he stood by the broader set of comments that have come under fire. “There are some statements that I’ve made that I certainly regret,” Talarico responded. “There are statements that Ive made where Ive missed the mark, I’ll be the first to admit that.”
Talarico also argued that Paxton was treating the remarks as a distraction. “Ken Paxton is intentionally clipping my cringy comments to distract from his career of corruption,” he said. “Ken Paxton has a criminal record, I have a legislative record.”
The dispute also mirrors the contrast in how each campaign describes the other. Talarico had already used Paxton’s record to frame the race, calling him “the most corrupt politician in America” in a political ad that aired a few minutes after Paxton’s victory over Cornyn on May 25.
In that ad. Talarico said. “Three years ago. Ken Paxton was impeached by his own party for using his public office to enrich himself and his donors — at the expense of the People.” He added. “That kind of corruption is the rot at the core of this broken system. It’s why we can’t afford anything. It’s why we can’t get ahead no matter how hard we work.”.
Paxton, for his part, responded after the runoff by calling Talarico the “most well-funded, radical Democrat in America” in an X post.
Taken together. the timeline is sharp: Paxton’s May 25 win over Cornyn set up a head-to-head with Talarico. and almost immediately the contest began to hinge on how the candidates talk about each other—what they regret. what they emphasize. and what they believe voters should focus on as November approaches.
For Talarico, the central message in the CBS News interview was not only that he’s reflecting on past remarks, but also that he believes Paxton is using those comments to steer attention away from what he calls a record of corruption.
James Talarico Ken Paxton Texas Senate race November general election CBS News Ed O'Keefe God nonbinary remark Texas runoff John Cornyn campaign controversy
Nonbinary God?? wild. Like what are we even doing now.
So he regrets it but also kinda says it’s fine? I don’t get it. Also Paxton is always the “corruption” guy right, but this feels like both sides just throwing clips.
Wait Ed O’Keefe already asked him and he “regrets” it, so that means he was lying before? Because if you’re intentionally provocative then you’re basically admitting you wanted to upset people. And Ken Paxton having a “criminal record” doesn’t automatically mean Talarico gets a pass on the God comment.
I saw a TikTok about the “nonbinary God” thing and I’m just like… why would he say that in the first place if he knows people will freak out. Now he’s saying Paxton is clipping it to distract from corruption, but maybe Paxton is right? Like Texas politics is always drama, Cornyn, Paxton, Senate nominee, all I know is they’re fighting while regular people can’t even afford groceries. Also “nonbinary” is such a weird word to attach to religion anyway.