James Talarico, the Texas Democratic nominee for Senate, faced tough questions from undecided voters during a CNN town hall on Wednesday evening. The discussions ranged from Israel’s military campaign in Gaza to abortion and foreign aid, highlighting the contentious issues at play in his close contest against Republican Ken Paxton.
Talarico's Faith and Abortion Stance
One voter, a devout small business owner, challenged Talarico on his faith, referencing a past comment where he described God as nonbinary. Talarico acknowledged his provocative statement, saying,
“"When I said that, I was being provocative and I want to admit that and come clean about that. What I was saying is actually not controversial theologically: the idea that we can’t define God using human categories. Not only did I say that, but the late Charlie Kirk said that – the late Pope Benedict said that."
He expressed his openness to feedback from Christians. Another voter, Jodi Hunt, a self-described single-issue voter, pressed Talarico on his pro-choice position, asking how he could assure Catholic voters that he would protect the most innocent. Talarico responded by framing abortion as a public health issue, stating,
“"We may have different moral conclusions when it comes to this particular ethical question, but we actually have the same public policy goal."
