It took James Talarico eight years to become an overnight sensation in American politics.
He was an unknown even by Austin political standards when he flipped a Republican-held seat in the Texas State House in 2018. His star turn came on the podcast circuit over the last few months — and with a canceled broadcast interview with late-night host Stephen Colbert that may have made a bigger splash on YouTube than it might have on CBS. Now, Mr. Talarico has emerged as the Texas Democratic nominee for the Senate and is suddenly one of the hottest properties in the party.
“We are not just trying to win an election,” Mr. Talarico told supporters late Tuesday night. “We are trying to fundamentally change our politics.”
The next eight months will tell whether Mr. Talarico, 36, who has made a name for himself as an “aw shucks” seminarian who likes to preach about optimism, can fulfill that promise and become more than another name in the pantheon of red-state Democrats to tickle the fancy of national donors on their way to defeat. He’ll start with a victory speech in Austin Wednesday evening.
Among his many challenges: drawing out Black voters considered crucial for a Democratic win in a general election. Although Mr. Talarico demonstrated Tuesday that a primary win is possible in Texas without wide support among Black voters, he now must persuade those Texans who preferred Representative Jasmine Crockett in the primary to turn out in November.
Ms. Crockett conceded the race early Wednesday morning. She called for Democrats to unite behind Mr. Talarico.
“Texas is primed to turn blue, and we must remain united because this is bigger than any one person,” she said.
If Mr. Talarico can manage to win this fall — and become the first Democratic victor in a Texas Senate race since before he was born — he will inevitably be talked about as a potential contender for president. If he loses, he will become yet another underemployed millennial.
Tuesday’s result, he said at his watch party before the race was called in his favor, “is proof that there is something happening in Texas.”
“Tonight, the people of our state gave this country a little bit of hope,” he added. “And a little bit of hope is a dangerous thing.”
Mr. Talarico’s profile resembles that of other Democrats who have tugged the heartstrings of liberal donors en route to becoming fund-raising colossuses.
Like Beto O’Rourke, he is selling an underdog story in deep-red Texas. Like Pete Buttigieg, he has raised his profile through a seemingly endless series of national interviews. And like Elizabeth Warren, he lingers after campaign stops to take photos with anyone who wants one — knowing that many supporters will spread his message on their social media feeds.
It is a long way from two years ago, when Mr. Talarico was a bright-eyed backbench state representative known for his keen debating skills. In April 2024, Mr. Talarico made his first trip to New York City to meet donors who might contribute to a future campaign beyond the boundaries of his legislative district.
His guide then was Emily Cherniack, the founder of New Politics, an organization that develops and promotes young Democrats with a background in military or other public service. Ms. Cherniack had invited Mr. Talarico to Manhattan to meet the sort of donors he would need for a serious statewide bid.
While riding the E train, he asked Ms. Cherniack to take a picture to commemorate his first trip on the New York City subway.
“We take the subway and James is like, ‘Can you take my picture? It’s my first time in New York and first time on the subway!’” she said. “It’s just who he is. This is not an act.”
Mr. Talarico’s appeal may be particularly suited for Texas. A Presbyterian seminarian who put off his studies to run for the Senate, his message about the power of love might seem discordant at a moment when Democrats are enraged about how President Trump and Republicans are running the country. But supporters hope his public show of faith could help win over independents and Republicans who have long been out of reach for standard-issue Texas Democrats.
“I like the fact that he believes his faith empowers him, but it does not drive him,” said Ann McClain, a retired schoolteacher from Livingston who drove 70 miles to see Mr. Talarico’s final primary campaign rally on Monday night in Houston. “He’s very accepting of other people, and we need that.”
Mr. Talarico’s path to his win on Tuesday began last summer when, during an appearance on Joe Rogan’s podcast, he road-tested what would become his campaign platform, touting his Christian faith and aversion to billionaire control of large swaths of the country. Mr. Rogan told him: “You need to run for president.”
Since then he has appeared on “The View,” Fox News and a slew of podcasts. Then came “The Late Show” with Stephen Colbert.
Before that booking on Presidents’ Day, Mr. Talarico had trailed Ms. Crockett in three independent polls. Then Mr. Colbert announced that CBS had blocked the show from airing the interview under pressure from the F.C.C. Mr. Colbert described the events in his monologue that night — and directed viewers to the full interview on YouTube. (CBS later denied it had blocked the interview, saying the network had “provided legal guidance” on federal equal-time rules for other candidates.)
Mr. Talarico led in the next three public polls — and began raking in millions in donations.
The Colbert episode is now in the opening minutes of Mr. Talarico’s stump speech. As of Wednesday, it had been viewed nine million times.
“Democrats across the nation owe F.C.C. Chairman Brendan Carr a huge thank you,” said Katharine Pichardo, the president of Latino Victory Fund, which endorsed Mr. Talarico and ran ads for him. “He’s the best Democratic organizer we’ve had in years,” Ms. Pichardo said.
How the viral moments that powered Mr. Talarico through the Democratic primary translate to a general election in a state of 31.7 million people remains to be seen. He will be far less known than whoever emerges from the Republican runoff, and will have to win support of Black voters who backed Ms. Crockett. President Trump’s announcement Wednesday that he plans to endorse one of the Republican candidates could further scramble the race.
Mr. Talarico has, it appears, won the loyalty of Hispanic voters, a group that Democrats struggled with in 2024 and will be the key to a comeback in not just this fall’s midterm contests but the 2028 presidential election.
Mr. Talarico now follows in the legacy of the recent Democratic sensations who have caused hearts to flutter. Not since Barack Obama have any of those trajectories ended well.
Mr. O’Rourke lost to Senator Ted Cruz in 2018, coming the closest to winning statewide of any Texas Democrat in a generation. Mr. Buttigieg’s and Ms. Warren’s presidential bids failed in part because they did not attract meaningful support from Black voters.
Mr. Talarico now has eight months to write a different conclusion for himself.
Reid J. Epstein is a Times reporter covering campaigns and elections from Washington.
The post Long-Suffering Texas Democrats Wonder: Is James Talarico the One? appeared first on New York Times.
