OPINION:
Nothing is wrong with a man changing his mind, but when he does it as frequently and conveniently as James Talarico, the Democratic candidate for Senate in Texas, voters are entitled to question his sincerity.
The Senate campaign in Texas is shaping up to be one of the most competitive races in the country. True, Democrats have not won a statewide race in Texas since 1994. The Republican candidate in the race, Attorney General Ken Paxton, defeated incumbent Sen. John Cornyn in a bitter Republican primary runoff, with the late support of President Trump.
Sensing blood in the water, Democrats nominated Mr. Talarico, a state representative who looks like the boy next door. They are pouring money into a race that could determine control of the Senate next year.
The problem for Mr. Talarico is that his record, while perfect for California, is out of sync with the average Texas voter. Hence, the candidate is attempting to reinvent himself in a fashion that strains credulity.
Mr. Talarico now says he would “absolutely” vote for a national ban on transgender surgeries for minors, even though he voted against such a ban when it was before the Texas Legislature as recently as 2023.
In a recent interview, Mr. Talarico promised to “oppose trans athletes if it risks safety and fairness,” but he voted against two bills before the Texas Legislature requiring public school athletes to compete in sports according to their biological sex.
Then there are those weasel words: “if it risks safety and fairness.” In 2021, he said that men playing women’s sports was “a manufactured problem.” This suggests that, in his mind, there is no real issue of safety and fairness.
Mr. Talarico also famously declared that there are “six sexes” and “God is nonbinary.” He now claims he “missed the mark” on these statements.
“What I meant is that there are two sexes, and then there’s a small percentage of people with genetic abnormalities.”
Oh, really?
He explains that when he said God is nonbinary, he meant that God cannot be defined in human terms, but then why not say that instead of using a term in vogue with the gender ideology crowd?
Besides, as a seminarian at Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary, Mr. Talarico must know that the Bible repeatedly calls God “Our Father.”
You can rely on some of the Democrats’ promises, such as their vow to vote to “overhaul” the Supreme Court. As for the rest, Mr. Talarico’s 180-degree turns are very convenient election-year conversions. If he is elected to the Senate this year, perhaps he will return to his original faith.
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