Texas Senate hopeful James Talarico, a Presbyterian seminarian and state representative, delivered a sermon in 2023 criticizing Christian nationalism as a "cancer on our religion" and a movement based on "mutual hate." During the same sermon, Talarico also defended abortion rights, stating that "religious people" would see the kingdom of heaven before those who uphold strict religious rules.
Talarico's remarks, made at St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church, also included the assertion that "God is not a Christian." He elaborated that God is "so much bigger than our human categories" and is not a noun but a verb, representing "being self" and "love." He previously described himself as a "Christian who hates Christianity" while also acknowledging a return to his faith.
In his 2023 sermon, Talarico argued that Christian nationalism has co-opted the Son of God, transforming Jesus "into a gun-toting, gay-bashing, science-denying, money-loving, fear-mongering fascist." He warned that the United States is "closer than we think to a Christian theocracy," citing the Supreme Court's overturning of Roe v. Wade, efforts to replace public schools with Christian ones, and the January 6, 2021 Capitol attack as examples of Christian nationalism's influence.
He also rejected the notion of America as a Christian nation, contending that if it were, every child would be housed, fed, clothed, educated, and insured. Talarico stated that a truly Christian nation would not seek to be exclusively Christian but would ensure its "table of fellowship is open to everybody, including our Buddhist, Hindu, Jewish, Muslim, Sikh, and atheist neighbors."
Talarico's spokesperson, JT Ennis, stated that Talarico is "a Christian seminarian who’s dedicated his life to the teachings of Jesus Christ — fighting corruption when he sees it because there’s nothing Christ-like about powerful people using scripture to justify hate and greed and score political points." The spokesperson added, "While billionaire-bought politicians like Ken Paxton attack James for his faith — he will continue encouraging Texans to come together by loving their neighbors as themselves."
Talarico is currently polling a narrow 1.2 percentage point lead over his opponent, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, according to the RealClearPolitics aggregate of polls. When previously confronted with earlier statements from the early 2020s, Talarico has described them as "cringey" and admitted that he "missed the mark on some of those old statements."