(The Hill) — Texas state Rep. James Talarico, the Democratic nominee for the state’s U.S. Senate contest, shrugged off taunts amplified by President Trump and his Republican rival, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton.
“I honestly get the sense that people across the spectrum, across the state are tired of this politics as professional wrestling, right? You got these old guys lathered up in their fake tan, throwing corny nicknames at each other,” Talarico said in a new interview with MS NOW’s Eugene Daniels that aired Saturday morning.
Talarico argued that the name-calling does nothing to confront the concerns at the center of his campaign, including the rising cost of living.
“What people are hungry for is elected officials who are going to do the work, who are going to bring both parties together and pass legislation that’s actually going to make their lives easier and better and less stressful,” he said. “And I’m putting my money on that. I really am.”
Daniels also pressed Talarico on efforts to question his masculinity, pointing in particular to Paxton’s jab calling him “Low-T Talarico.”
“Honestly, I had to look up what that meant,” Talarico replied. “I don’t think guys my age are really concerned about that kind of thing, but I think that these nicknames and these personal attacks don’t actually meet the needs of Texans.”
Talarico captured the Democratic nomination in March and is set to take on Paxton in November in the race to succeed Republican Sen. John Cornyn.
He added that the criticism coming from Republican leaders “exposes the fact that they have no clue how to get this economy back on track.”
“They have no solutions to lower people’s costs and raise their pay,” he continued. “So, if they have no affirmative argument to make to voters, I think that is a good sign for our chances in November.”
