Texas Republicans continue turning their ire on Senate hopeful James Talarico. This time, Lt. Governor Dan Patrick spoke out against what he frames as Talarico’s blasphemous beliefs. Patrick was speaking at the state’s 2026 State Convention at the George R. Brown Convention Center in Houston. “It’s James Talarico who decided to bring the Bible into this election. And let me tell you, that’s not a Bible I’ve ever read,” said Patrick. “I’ve never seen so much blasphemy from anyone running for office. Let me tell you what, I’m going to pray for that guy, because when he loses the Senate race, if he campaigns against God as he’s been doing, he’s going to Hell, for sure. That’s what we’re up against. That’s the darkness. That’s the light. That’s why we must be one.”

Talarico has often cited his Christian faith during his campaign, trying to brand himself as a moderate Democrat running for a Senate seat in deep red Texas. But his critics have often cited Talarico’s progressive views, including statements he’s made that God is non-binary and that there are 6 biological genders. Talarico has backed off some of his more controversial statements, but social media has given his critics plenty of fodder to turn to. While some have mocked Talarico as a longshot Senate hopeful, Patrick encouraged his listeners to take Talarico’s campaign seriously, given his stronghold in his hometown of Austin, the bluest city in the whole state. He warned that Talarico’s position in Austin give him an automatic 45% and he would only need 6 more percentage points to win. “We must stand together. We cannot lose Texas. We cannot lose this Senate race,” he warned.

Talarico responded to Patrick’s jab on X. “For decades, Dan Patrick has sold out the poor, the sick, and the vulnerable to enrich his donors. Love feels like blasphemy when you worship power.” Talarico will face off against Attorney General Ken Paxton, whom he has framed as a degenerate adulterer. Meanwhile, Talarico has earned himself more criticism after praising a self-proclaimed “TransQueer Latinx” theologian named Roberto Henderson-Espinoza, who uses he/they pronouns and identifies as Mestizaje (mixed race), autistic, non-binary, transgender, and Latinx. “When you started following me on Twitter, I couldn’t contain my inner fan boy, because I read your book last year and it continues to inspire me and y’all’s work continues to inspire me. I told you I was a boring, straight, cis white man, and I added ‘Presbyterian’ to spice it up,” Talarico told Henderson-Espinoza while appearing on the Activist Theology podcast. “My imagination is also just limited by my own background and identity. “My whiteness, my masculinity, all those things limit my imagination about what’s possible. And that’s where … your book helps me do that.”