James Talarico, a Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate in Texas, previously described parents who refused to acknowledge their children’s gender identity as potentially engaging in "abusive" behavior.
In a 2019 Texas Legislature committee hearing, Talarico said, "I think there are some folks that would think that if you deny your child's gender identity, that's incredibly harmful. And whether or not we label it with the term abuse, it's abusive for sure." He was speaking about House Bill 1910, which aimed to prevent courts from considering a parent's acknowledgment of a child's gender identity in custody decisions.
"My concern is ruling it out as not being abuse, I think, is dangerous and could certainly harm some of our most vulnerable kids in the state," Talarico stated. He opposed the bill, arguing that in some cases, the denial could border on abuse.
Although that version of the bill did not pass, a later version became law. Talarico voted against that bill but also voted in favor of an amendment to sunset the law in 2030 and another amendment stating that "rejecting a child's gender identity or sexual orientation is abuse."
When asked about his past comments, Talarico's campaign stated he supports parental rights. "James believes parents have the most important say in decisions about their children, which is why he sponsored a bill to protect parental rights and ensure parents are responsible for the upbringing of their own kids," JT Ennis, a spokesperson for the Talarico campaign, said in a statement to Fox News Digital. Ennis added that Talarico's opponent, Ken Paxton, has "endangered them by allowing pedophiles back on our streets."
Republicans have criticized Talarico's stance. Zach Kraft, a spokesperson for the Republican National Committee, called Talarico a "truly sick individual for dedicating his life to pushing sex changes on other people's kids."
The resurfaced comments come as Talarico attempts to appeal to a broader electorate in Texas, a historically Republican-leaning state, while campaigning on issues of gender, policing, and border security. Talarico previously stated he "missed the mark" on some controversial statements.