James Talarico

James Dell Talarico (/ˌtæləˈriːkoʊ/ TAL-uh-REE-koh; né Collins, born May 17, 1989) is an American politician, Presbyterian seminarian, and former educator who has served since 2018 as a member of the Texas House of Representatives. Talarico is the Democratic nominee for the 2026 U.S. Senate election in Texas and has been called a "rising star" among Texan Democrats.

Born in Round Rock, Texas, Talarico graduated from the University of Texas at Austin with a Bachelor of Arts in government. He later joined Teach For America, where he taught sixth-grade English language arts in San Antonio. Afterward, he served as the Central Texas executive director for Reasoning Mind, a nonprofit focused on bringing technology to low-income classrooms. He later graduated from Harvard University with a Master of Education degree in education policy.

Talarico serves as vice chair of two bodies in the Texas House: the Trade, Workforce, and Economic Development Committee and the Subcommittee on Academic and Career-Oriented Education under the Public Education Committee. He also serves on the Public Education Committee and the House Administration Committee. In September 2025, Talarico announced his candidacy for the 2026 U.S. Senate race. He defeated U.S. Representative Jasmine Crockett in the primary and will face either John Cornyn or Ken Paxton in the general election, pending a runoff election.