James Talarico, a Texas Democratic Senate candidate, may not share the same dietary habits as his girlfriend, but their relationship is a testament to love surpassing lifestyle choices.
Talarico’s partner, Brianna Menard, is a committed vegan and political lobbyist who once served as his chief of staff. At 30, Menard is not only dedicated to her plant-based lifestyle but also enjoys yoga and being a cat mom. She is actively involved in her community, as evidenced by her role on the board of a local food cooperative. Her bio reveals she appreciates vibrant nights out, especially at Austin’s Cheer Up Charlies, a popular gay bar.
While Menard embraces a vegan lifestyle, Talarico does not share the same dietary inclinations, as confirmed by his spokesman, JT Ennis. “James is not and never has been a vegan, much to his girlfriend’s chagrin. As the saying goes, true love conquers all,” Ennis humorously noted in a statement on Friday.
In the realm of politics, Talarico, who made a significant impact in the Texas Senate Democratic primary, has faced accusations from his Republican opponent, former Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, of being meat-free. Talarico was quick to dismiss these claims, humorously labeling them as “fighting words.”
Firmly asserting his Texan roots, Talarico quipped, “I’m an eighth-generation Texan. I’ve been eating barbecue since before Ken Paxton’s first indictment.” This playful retort not only defends his love for barbecue but also highlights his longstanding connection to Texas traditions.
“I’m an eighth-generation Texan,” he has said. “I’ve been eating barbecue since before Ken Paxton’s first indictment.”
In addition to highlighting his opponent’s comment that “God is non-binary” and other remarks in favor of gender fluidity, Paxton has also dubbed him “tofu Talarico,” “six-gender Jimmy,” “James Talafreako” for his supposed hippie-dippy lifestyle.
Talarico has gleefully embraced the latter moniker, putting the slogan, “I’m a Talafreako,” on his own campaign T-shirts and selling the merchandise for $36 a pop.
The pair met when Menard landed a job in Talarico’s office in 2022 — but didn’t start dating til January the following year.
News of Talarico’s mysterious lover broke earlier this month, though he declined to reveal her identity.
“She is my rock. She is my best friend,” Talarico first said on an episode of the “The Jamie Kern Lima Show” podcast. “I don’t know if I could have gotten through the last six months of this crazy race if she hadn’t been by my side.”
That bae he kept under wraps appears to be a picture-perfect Democratic activist with a lily-white record.
Menard currently works as a lobbyist for the Texas Medical Association focused on “bipartisan efforts to advance early learning, childcare access, workforce development, and healthcare affordability.”
But the association has wrangled with Texas Republicans with its support for puberty blockers and hormone care and what it has called their “criminalization of evidence-based, gender-affirming care for transgender youth and adolescents.”
Its PAC has donated to the GOP and endorsed Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) over former state attorney general Ken Paxton in their 2026 primary race.
Meanwhile — Menard, who was first identified by Texas outlet Current Revolt — had managed to stay out of the spotlight.
After working for Talarico, Menard went on to become chief of staff for state Representative Salman Bhojani in January 2023.
Bhojani recalled in a December 2022 panel with the Texas Tribune how he “had a wonderful state representative send me an email saying that their chief of staff would love to get a job.”
Talarico and Menard frequently attend music concerts — including visiting Austin City Limits every year — and like to hike at Big Bend National Park annually, as well as take other trips, photos obtained by The Post show. They’re also avid Texas Longhorns college football fans and San Antonio Spurs devotees.
Brianna also has Texas roots with one ancestor, Michael B. Menard, having both a West Central state county named after him. He also signed the Texas Declaration of Independence.
Talarico trounced Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-Texas) in the March 3 Democratic primary and hopes to become the first non-Republican elected to statewide office since Ann Richards was voted as governor in 1990.
Fox host Jessie Watters questioned whether or not Talarico was just making her up on Wednesday’s edition of “Jesse Watters Primetime.”
“Does she live in Canada?” a co-host quipped.
