A former Biden White House adviser says Texas state Rep. James Talarico was right to walk back some of his past culture war statements, calling them a symptom of a broader Democratic overreach that alienated voters.
Yemisi Egbewole, who served in the Biden administration, wrote on X that Talarico’s admission that some of his past remarks were “cringe” was a welcome sign. “Honestly, more young people running for office are probably going to have to do this. Peak woke got weird. It’s okay to say that!” Egbewole posted in response to a CBS News interview with Talarico.
Talarico, the Democratic nominee for Senate in Texas, acknowledged in the interview that he regretted some of his past comments, including referring to God as nonbinary. “I was being intentionally provocative with that statement,” he said. “There are statements that I’ve made that I certainly regret.”
The lawmaker has faced intense backlash from Republicans over his previous remarks on gender issues. Talarico argues that the outrage is manufactured by his opponent, Ken Paxton, who he says is “intentionally clipping my cringey comments to distract from his career of corruption.” The race has drawn national attention, with Senator Thune urging Republicans to rally behind Paxton after a contentious primary.
Alex Bruisewitz, an adviser to President Trump and a key figure in his 2024 digital strategy, labeled Talarico “too woke” for Texas. “Talarico is a far-left radical who has called God ‘non-binary,’ said he loves ‘trans children,’ and backed policies tied to defunding the police,” Bruisewitz wrote on X. “These positions are completely out of step with Texas values.”
Talarico dismissed the criticism, telling CBS News that Republicans are “worried about the movement that we’re building here in Texas.” His campaign has sought to pivot to economic and healthcare issues, but the culture war attacks have persisted. Some political analysts see Talarico’s mea culpa as part of a broader Democratic recalibration on diversity and equity rhetoric ahead of the midterms. Meanwhile, Talarico has claimed that some Trump supporters are quietly defecting in the Senate race, a sign that the race may be closer than expected.
The episode underscores the challenge Democrats face in Texas, where cultural flashpoints can energize the GOP base. Talarico’s willingness to admit past mistakes may help him with moderate voters, but it also opens him to attacks from both the right and the left. As the campaign heats up, all eyes will be on whether Talarico can overcome the “too woke” label and make inroads in a state that has not elected a Democrat to statewide office in decades.
