Talarico Grilled on God, Abortion and Israel in Lone Texas Town Hall Debate

The Democratic nominee for Senate in Texas, state representative James Talarico, faced more than 90 minutes of grilling from Texas voters on Wednesday night at a first-of-its-kind town hall-slash-debate session. Mr. Talarico, who has led in the polls since the summer, has been pushing his Republican opponent, state attorney general Ken Paxton, to have a one-on-one debate for months. Mr. Talarico was pressed by Democratic, Republican, and independent voters during his event on Wednesday night, which was hosted by CNN and the digital outlet Jubilee, which is known for hosting debates between individuals with diametrically opposing views. At the outset of the live event, Mr. Talarico addressed the conspiracy theory which recently went viral online — the claim that he was being treated secretly at an Ohio mental health facility. The allegation was quickly debunked, with Mr. Talarico having never been to Ohio and security camera footage showing that he was at home with the flu during his eight-day absence from the campaign trail. He blamed the outrage machine of social media for the claims going viral.“These false claims got millions of views online, and this is an example of what I call ‘the rage economy,’” Mr. Talarico told the crowd. “Conspiracy theorists can post anything they want on the internet, they get clicks, the billionaires who own these platforms get rich, we all get angry, and nobody’s life gets any better.”The moderate, Erin Burnett, pressed Mr. Talarico about some of his past comments, including remarks he made during a Zoom call with members of the Sierra Club in 2020. At the time, he called capitalism an “oppressive system,” and that Americans should begin the “process of dismantling it.”Mr. Talarico shot back, claiming that political campaign spin doctors and members of the press were trying to grab a soundbite rather than have an honest conversation. He said that he was talking about “crony capitalism” in those remarks. “I want competition, but it’s gotta be fair competition,” Mr. Talarico said, pledging to go after monopolies which are “anti-capitalist.” He said that there must be “shared growth” in the American economy. “I want an economy that creates fewer trillionaires and more millionaires,” he declared. Mr. Talarico has long said that the southern border should have a lock on it, but that there must be a “welcome mat,” as well. He went after his own party during the event, including President Biden.“Joe Biden failed us,” Mr. Talarico said, referring to the 46th president’s border policies. “That’s unacceptable.” He also went after President Trump’s use of ICE agents, accusiong them of being “masked men” who should be going after “cartels, not our communities.”“I’m a border security Democrat,” Mr. Talarico said, arguing that there should be limited pathways to citizenship for those who pay their taxes and learn to speak English. He said he has “never” supported abolishing ICE. After a commercial break, the debate session of the event began, with audience members being given four minutes to press Mr. Talarico on his views live on stage. The first person to go up was a woman named Jody, who pressed Mr. Talarico — a supporter of abortion rights — on how the legalization of abortion can harmonize with his Christian faith. “How can we trust that you will provide policies that will protect [other] Texans?” she asked, referencing Mr. Talarico’s support for abortion rights. “I think there’s common ground that we can find here,” he responded, saying that Texans can “come together on reducing the number of unplanned pregnancies and the number of abortions.”“You and I have the same goal,” he said, condemning the total abortion ban that was enacted in Texas after the Dobbs decision.When another voter came up to question him about the national debt, Mr. Talarico said Congress must make the federal government more efficient, and that ending the war with Iran would be a good start. “We can close the deficit and tackle the debt by ending this disastrous war in Iran that is costing us $1 billion dollars a day,” Mr. Talarico said, leading the vast majority of attendees — and even the man who had questioned him about the debt — to clap. The most tense back-and-forth of the night came from a self-identified Republican woman named Sarah Gardner, who pressed Mr. Talarico on his past comment that “God is nonbinary,” and his claim that there are six genders. Mr. Gardner questioned the “authenticity” of Mr. Talarico’s faith. “When I said that, I was being provocative,” Mr. Talarico said when asked about the “nonbinary” comments. “The late Charlie Kirk said that. The late Pope Benedict said that.”Ms. Gardner then cut in to ask if he would stick by his Christian values when they did not coincide with “modern cultural terms,” leading the candidate to concede that his remarks did not “come across in the right way.”Towards the end of the event, Rabbi Holly Cohn, a Jewish resident of Dallas, came to the debate stage to press Mr. Talarico on his support for Israel. Rabbi Cohn said that recent criticisms of Israel from members of the Democratic Party may be contributing to the rise in antisemitism. “All of us should be welcome here in Texas,” Mr. Talarico responded. “My criticisms are directed toward Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and not the Israeli people.” He said that what happened in Gaza makes him “sick,” but that the October 7, 2023 attacks were horrific and that Israelis have a right to defend themselves. “I don’t believe that Benjamin Netanyahu has the right to wage war against civilians or use collective punishment or restrict aid to civilians,” Mr. Talarico said. The comment quickly drew a rebuke from Rabbi Cohn. “There [have] been humanitarian efforts and food brought in … on behalf of the Israelis, but Hamas takes those resources,” Rabbi Cohn told Mr. Talarico. “The border that’s closed is with Egypt.”“When there’s medical help that’s needed, the Israelis step up,” she said, disclosing that she, too, is a critic of Prime Minister Netanyahu. Mr. Talarico ended the back-and-forth by saying that he supports a two-state solution, and that he prays for peace for both Israelis and Palestinians.

Talarico Grilled on God, Abortion and Israel in Lone Texas Town Hall Debate

Talarico Grilled on God, Abortion and Israel in Lone Texas Town Hall Debate

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