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Sixth-grade teacher, seminarian, Danny Zuko: 7 things to know about Senator-elect James Talarico
The 37-year-old who ended Texas Democrats' Senate drought talks about faith and schools more than most politicians.
James Talarico, a former middle school English teacher and seminary student from Round Rock, beat Ken Paxton to become the first Democrat to win a Texas Senate race since 1988. Here is his publicly documented background.
Texas Democrats waited since 1988 for this. Here's who they sent to the Senate, from his public biography on Wikipedia and election-night reporting.
1. Round Rock kid, theater kid
Talarico was born May 17, 1989, in Round Rock and graduated from McNeil High School, where he did speech and debate and played Danny Zuko in "Grease," per Wikipedia.
2. He taught sixth-grade English
After UT Austin, he joined Teach For America in 2011 and taught sixth-grade English at Rhodes Middle School in San Antonio, per Wikipedia. On the trail he often told the story of a student named Justin who arrived after being kicked out of fifth grade, and whom he welcomed with a handshake.
3. He's a seminary student
He earned a master's in theological studies from Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary in 2025 and is studying for a Master of Divinity. He's a Presbyterian who has called Popes Leo XIV and Francis his "spiritual heroes," per Wikipedia.
4. A school-funding lawmaker
Elected to the Texas House in 2018, he co-authored House Bill 3, the 2019 school-finance law that funded teacher raises and full-day pre-K for eligible 4-year-olds, and opposed putting the Ten Commandments in classrooms, Wikipedia notes.
5. The interviews TV wouldn't air
In February, Stephen Colbert said CBS barred him from airing a Talarico interview, so he posted it to YouTube; a September Jimmy Kimmel segment also went to YouTube after the FCC threatened the equal-time rule, per Wikipedia.
6. He beat two big names
He defeated Rep. Jasmine Crockett in the primary and Attorney General Ken Paxton in November. "We were the underdogs in this race," he said on election night, per The Texas Tribune. Results are in our race story.
7. He knows his history
On X: "Luci Baines Johnson came to celebrate last night. We just took back her dad's Senate seat."
Sources
- James Talarico defeats Ken Paxton in Texas' U.S. Senate race — The Texas Tribune
- 2026 Texas U.S. Senate Class II general election results — Exa Election Library
- James Talarico — Wikipedia
- Post by James Talarico on X — X