James Talarico

James Dell Talarico ( TAL-uh-REE-koh, born May 17, 1989) is an American politician and educator who has served since 2018 as a member of the Texas House of Representatives. He is the Democratic nominee in the 2026 U.S. Senate election in Texas. Born in Round Rock, Texas, Talarico graduated from the University of Texas at Austin with a Bachelor of Arts in government in 2011, and from Harvard University with a Master of Education degree in education policy in 2016. Before entering politics, Talarico was a middle school English teacher and an executive director for an education nonprofit. He is serving his fourth term in the Texas House of Representatives, having first been elected in 2018. While serving in the Texas House, Talarico started to pursue a Master of Divinity at Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary. In 2025, he announced his candidacy for the United States Senate in 2026. He defeated U.S. representative Jasmine Crockett in the Democratic primary and will face the Republican nominee, Texas attorney general Ken Paxton, in the general election.