Texas Democratic Senate nominee James Talarico is confronting renewed scrutiny over past comments made during the 2020 racial justice protests, in which he questioned why the idea of defunding police was considered off-limits in political discussions. His campaign has responded by stating that the remarks were taken out of context and that Talarico does not support defunding the police.
During a virtual discussion with the progressive youth activist group Texas Rising in 2020, Talarico said it was "rich" for defunding police to be off the table for political debate, contrasting it with decades of state government policy that he argued defunded public education and health services. "As an educator, it's always rich to me that 'defund the police' is considered off-limits in our political debate, when defunding health services, defunding public education has been the stated policy of our state government for decades now," Talarico stated.
In a separate interview with Honest Austin in September 2020, Talarico reiterated similar sentiments when asked directly about the "defund the police" movement. He was quoted as saying, "Our system of policing is deeply broken. We must replace it with something new and something better," and he questioned the necessity of armed officers responding to every emergency.
Talarico's campaign spokesperson, JT Ennis, told Fox News Digital that the comments were not an endorsement of the "defund the police" movement. Instead, Ennis explained, Talarico was highlighting perceived hypocrisy among politicians who condemn the slogan while supporting cuts to other public services. "James did not call for and does not support defunding the police, and he strongly supports Texas law enforcement and first responders," Ennis said.
Ennis also pointed to Talarico's legislative record, noting that he has voted to allocate significant funding to local law enforcement. "That's why James has voted to send billions of dollars to local law enforcement, in addition to advocating for better-funded mental health resources so that cops don't have to respond to mental health emergencies that could be handled by a counselor," Ennis stated.
The campaign has accused Talarico's Republican opponent, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, and his allies of misrepresenting Talarico's statements to divert attention from Paxton's own record on crime. The Talarico campaign specifically referenced Paxton's office's handling of a case involving a former Waco attorney charged with sexual abuse of a minor, which resulted in a plea deal for misdemeanor charges and a short jail sentence without the requirement to register as a sex offender.