2026-10-13T16:47:35.688Z / https://www.cnn.com/2026/10/13/politics/james-talarico-texas-senate-democrats
得克萨斯州沃斯堡——
数十年来，民主党人一直在德克萨斯州怀揣宏大梦想，满心乐观地认为今年或许终将是拿下美国参议院席位的一年。
这一次，终身共和党人皮特·诺德克首次加入他们的行列，计划于下周早期投票开始时将票投给詹姆斯·塔拉里科。
“我对共和党已经相当失望了，”81岁的诺德克说道，他是一名退休的餐饮供应商。“共和党已经被劫持了。他们不再是我毕生加入的那个共和党了。”
编者按： 订阅全享频道，即可于美国东部时间10月14日周三晚8点在线收看CNN与朱比利联办的詹姆斯·塔拉里科市政厅直播。
在秋季竞选的最后三周，塔拉里科正致力于组建选民联盟，打破民主党三十八年以来在参议院席位竞选中屡屡失利的局面。他希望借助诺德克这类选民的不满情绪——这类选民曾两次投票给唐纳德·特朗普——同时激励民主党人相信他有能力击败共和党候选人肯·帕克斯顿。
“我是德克萨斯州的民主党人，所以我们总是有点紧张，”塔兰特县民主党妇女俱乐部成员苏·里德说道。“但我得说，这是我们多年来感受到的最积极的氛围和能量。”
民主党在德克萨斯州的这种现代乐观传统至少可以追溯到2002年，当时该党推出了由前达拉斯市长罗恩·柯克领衔的“梦之队”竞选名单，柯克当时参选参议员。
2014年，民主党州参议员温迪·戴维斯因一场高调反对堕胎限制的 filibuster（冗长辩论）而参选州长，引发全国关注。四年后，贝托·奥罗克打破筹款纪录，吸引大批民众支持，挑战共和党参议员特德·克鲁兹。
一路走来，民主党人始终未能如愿——有时差距还非常大。奥罗克仍是民主党在该州的最高得票纪录保持者，仅以不到3个百分点的差距输给了克鲁兹。
今年的参议院竞选已成为争夺参议院控制权的焦点战役之一，生动展现了共和党人如何拼命捍卫深红州的阵地。若非帕克斯顿在5月初的初选中击败参议员约翰·康林，这个席位几乎不可能具备竞争性。
现年37岁的州众议员塔拉里科出生于最后一位民主党籍德克萨斯州参议员劳埃德·本特森1988年连任的次年。他让乐观的民主党人备受鼓舞，也赢得了一些对总统及其所在政党感到失望的共和党人的支持。
“他给我留下深刻印象，因为他愿意听取各方的意见，”退休的塔兰特县法官格伦·惠特利说道，他曾呼吁 fellow Republicans（共和党同僚）“将国家置于党派之上”，支持塔拉里科。“肯·帕克斯顿竟然能出现在选票上，我都感到羞耻。”
帕克斯顿及其在华盛顿的盟友发起了耗资数亿美元的猛烈广告宣传，将塔拉里科描绘成对德克萨斯州来说过于激进的候选人。
他们尤其抓住了他过去关于性别和宗教的言论不放，比如他在2021年一场立法辩论中称“上帝是非二元性别的”。此后他承认，自己的一些言论“没说到点子上”，并试图在跨性别问题上缓和自己的立场。
帕克斯顿指责塔拉里科为了向德克萨斯州选民隐瞒真实观点而进行政治改头换面。
“加利福尼亚已经有两名参议员了，他们不需要第三个，”帕克斯顿在其竞选演讲的固定环节中说道。
共和党人正拼命团结阵营对抗塔拉里科。帕克斯顿在周五的一次演讲中称，目前有“很多冷漠的共和党人”，暗示这与伊朗战争有关，而特朗普则表示他对这场竞选“感到担忧”。
“努力保持乐观”
在一场接一场的交谈中，德克萨斯州的民主党选民对塔拉里科击败帕克斯顿的前景持乐观态度，尽管一些人承认，德克萨斯州长期以来的共和党投票模式可能会再次击碎民主党人的希望。
“我认为不同之处在于，詹姆斯非常成功地触及了很多人愤怒的根源，”沃斯堡的民主党选民劳拉·利曼说道。“而且这不仅仅来自某一个党派。”
乔伊斯·富兰克林正在沃斯堡一家画廊参加民主党筹款活动，她说在这场令人紧张不已的竞选的最后几周里，她一直在努力保持积极心态。
“我尽量保持乐观，但又不想彻底失望，”富兰克林说道，她回忆起2024年特朗普连任时自己的崩溃。“我不想再让自己陷入那种失望，但我认为这次我们终于找到了前进的正确方案。”
作为一名牧师的孙子，塔拉里科本人也曾就读神学院，他比大多数民主党人更频繁地谈论信仰。在竞选活动中，他时不时引用《路加福音》中的经文，同时主张爱比仇恨更能激励人心。
“他的信仰对他很重要，这是我们在民主党候选人身上并不总能看到的东西，”来自里弗奥克斯的民主党选民吉尔·福克斯说道。“我认为这是一个有趣的因素，吸引了一些无党派人士，甚至可能是一些跨党派的共和党人。”
塔拉里科拥有奥斯汀长老会神学院的神学研究硕士学位，目前正在接受 ordained minister（按立牧师）的培训。
作为圣安东尼奥的一名前中学教师，塔拉里科于2018年投身政坛，竞选奥斯汀北部郊区的共和党-held（共和党掌控的）席位。这位29岁年轻人的胜利让他成为当时德克萨斯州议会最年轻的议员。
他很快确立了自己作为公立教育和其他民生问题倡导者的形象。然而，2022年共和党重新划分选区，迫使他在奥斯汀的一个选区寻求连任，此后他不得不争取更多自由派选民的支持。
大约在那段时间，塔拉里科开始在社会问题上表达更进步的观点——也发表了一些他现在称之为“令人尴尬”的言论。共和党人正竭尽全力确保选民不会忘记这些时刻。
在沃斯堡拥有一家咖啡烘焙和汽车维修店的马文·罗达克表示，他正在密切关注参议院竞选，在竞选进入最后阶段时仍未做出决定。他说，他对特朗普政府的关税政策反复无常以及创纪录的柴油价格感到不满，但也不确定是否希望民主党控制参议院。
“真正的民主党正在衰落，”75岁的罗达克说道，他在民主党家庭中长大，成年后成为共和党人。“民主党需要与社会主义划清界限。”
他表示，帕克斯顿的法律和政治包袱让他感到担忧，但也不相信塔拉里科有能力在不受民主党领导人不当影响的情况下履职。他说，他打算在做出决定前仔细研究两位候选人。
“我认为每次选举都是传递信息的机会，”罗达克说道。
罗达克正是共和党在竞选最后几周重点拉拢的选民类型，他们希望这些选民在更多了解塔拉里科后能够回归共和党阵营。
从9月初到选举日，共和党相关团体计划斥资2.32亿美元——超过他们在密歇根州和缅因州竞争性参议院竞选中的总投入。共和党外部支出的大部分来自得克萨斯州PAC，这是一个隶属于参议院领导基金的组织，该基金是参议院竞选中顶级的共和党超级政治行动委员会。
“如果你关心你的孩子，不要投票给詹姆斯·塔拉里科，”一名女性在一则广告中说道，该广告暗示塔拉里科支持为未成年人提供变性手术。
塔拉里科曾在2023年投票反对一项禁止为未成年人提供变性医疗护理的法案，但他现在表示反对手术，并反对该法案是因为其范围过于宽泛。在他自己的一则广告中，他直面镜头说道：“不，我不支持为儿童进行变性手术。”
为了巩固选民基础，共和党甚至动用了帕克斯顿分居的妻子安吉拉·帕克斯顿，让她辩称共和党人应该支持整个竞选团队，即使他们对个别候选人有所保留。
在竞选的最后几周，特朗普一直专注于德克萨斯州。在他最近三次访德期间，每次都猛烈抨击塔拉里科，试图挽救帕克斯顿的竞选。副总统JD·万斯周二与帕克斯顿在东德克萨斯州一同亮相，该地区是深红地带，帕克斯顿需要其选民大规模 turnout（投票）。
“我们不能选‘塔拉里怪’进入美国参议院，”万斯说道，重复了特朗普多次用来攻击塔拉里科的侮辱性称呼。
曾在2016年和2020年投票支持特朗普，但在特朗普对2021年1月6日国会山袭击事件的回应后被激怒的诺德克表示，他认为特朗普频繁到访德克萨斯州可能会适得其反，更能激励他的批评者，而非 remaining loyalists（ remaining loyalists）。
“如果说有什么不同的话，”诺德克说道，“这只会让我更倾向于反方向投票。”
CNN的阿什利·基洛夫为本文撰稿。
James Talarico has Democrats dreaming big after decades of dashed hopes in Texas
2026-10-13T16:47:35.688Z / https://www.cnn.com/2026/10/13/politics/james-talarico-texas-senate-democrats
Fort Worth, Texas—
Democrats have been dreaming big in Texas for decades, awash in optimism that this could finally be the year to win a US Senate seat.
For the first time, lifelong Republican Pete Nodecker is joining them, planning to cast his ballot for James Talarico when early voting begins here next week.
“I’m rather disillusioned with the Republican Party,” said Nodecker, 81, a retired restaurant supplier. “The Republican Party has been hijacked. They’re not the Republican Party that I was a member of for all my life.”
EDITOR’S NOTE: Stream the CNN & Jubilee Town Hall with James Talarico live Wednesday, October 14, at 8 p.m. ET with an All Access subscription.
In the final three weeks of the fall campaign, Talarico is seeking to build a coalition of voters to break a 38-year streak of Democrats falling short in their bid for Senate. He’s hoping to tap into the dissatisfaction of voters like Nodecker, who twice voted for Donald Trump, while motivating Democrats to believe in his ability to defeat GOP nominee Ken Paxton.
“I’m a Democrat in Texas, so we’re always a little bit nervous,” said Sue Reed, a member of the Tarrant County Democratic Woman’s Club. “But I would say this has been the most positive vibe and energy that we’ve seen in years.”
The modern ritual of Democratic optimism in Texas dates to at least 2002, when the party put together a “Dream Team” ticket led by former Dallas Mayor Ron Kirk, who ran for Senate.
In 2014, Democratic state Sen. Wendy Davis drew national fanfare as she ran for governor after a high-profile filibuster against abortion restrictions. Four years later, Beto O’Rourke shattered fundraising records and drew massive crowds as he challenged Republican Sen. Ted Cruz.
Through it all, Democrats came up short — and sometimes very short. O’Rourke remains the high-water mark, losing to Cruz by less than 3 percentage points.
This year’s Senate contest has become one of the marquee races in the fight for control of the chamber, a leading example of how Republicans are scrambling to defend deeply red terrain. The seat almost certainly would not have been competitive if Paxton hadn’t defeated Sen. John Cornyn in the May primary runoff.
Talarico, a 37-year-old state representative, was born the year after the last Democratic senator from Texas, Lloyd Bentsen, was reelected in 1988. He has inspired sanguine Democrats and won over some Republicans frustrated by the president and their party.
“He impresses me because he’s willing to take questions from all sides,” said Glen Whitley, a retired Tarrant County judge, who has urged his fellow Republicans to “put country over party” and support Talarico. “I’m ashamed that Ken Paxton is even on the ballot.”
Paxton and his allies in Washington have launched a furious, nine-figure advertising campaign to paint Talarico as too liberal for Texas.
They have especially seized on his past comments about gender and religion, such as his remark during a 2021 legislative debate that “God is nonbinary.” He has since admitted that some of his comments “missed the mark” and has sought to moderate his views on transgender issues.
Paxton has accused Talarico of undergoing a political makeover to hide his true views from Texans.
“California already has two senators. They don’t need a third,” Paxton says in a staple of his stump speech.
Republicans are scrambling to unify their ranks against Talarico. Paxton said in a speech Friday that there are “a lot of apathetic Republicans” right now, suggesting it was due to the Iran war, and Trump has said he is “worried” about the race.
‘Trying to remain optimistic’
In one conversation after another, Democratic voters in Texas were upbeat at Talarico’s prospects over Paxton, even as some acknowledged an air of caution that the state’s long pattern of voting GOP could dash Democratic hopes.
“I think what’s different is that James has done such a great job of tapping into what a lot of people are upset about,” said Laura Leeman, a Democratic voter in Fort Worth. “And not just from one party or the other.”
As she attended a Democratic fundraising event at a Fort Worth gallery, Joyce Franklin said she was working to stay positive in the final weeks of a nail-biting campaign.
“I’m trying to remain as optimistic as I can without being totally let down,” Franklin said, recalling the devastation she felt in 2024 when Trump won a second term. “I don’t want to set myself up for that disappointment again, but I think this time we finally have the right formula to move forward.”
The grandson of a pastor and a seminary student himself, Talarico talks far more about faith than most Democrats. As he campaigns, he sprinkles in verses from the Gospel of Luke, along with the argument that love is a stronger motivating force than hate.
“His faith is important to him, and that’s something we don’t always see in Democratic candidates,” said Jill Fox, a Democratic voter from River Oaks. “I think that’s an interesting dynamic that’s attracting some independents and maybe even some crossover Republicans.”
Talarico has a master’s degree in theological studies from the Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary and is training to become an ordained minister.
A former middle school teacher in San Antonio, Talarico entered politics in 2018 when he ran for a Republican-held seat in the northern suburbs of Austin. The 29-year-old’s win made him the youngest member of the Texas Legislature at the time.
He quickly established himself as an advocate for public education and other bread-and-butter issues. However, he found himself competing for more liberal voters after Republican redistricting forced him to seek reelection in 2022 in an Austin-based district.
It was around that period that Talarico began voicing more progressive views on social issues — and offering some of the comments that he now refers to as “cringey.” Republicans are working hard to make sure their voters do not forget those moments.
Marvin Rodak, who owns a coffee roasting and auto repair business in Fort Worth, said he was carefully following the Senate race and remained undecided as the campaign entered the home stretch. He said he was frustrated by the tariff whiplash from the Trump administration and record diesel prices, but also uncertain that he wanted to see Democrats control the Senate.
“The true Democratic Party is fading,” said Rodak, 75, who was raised in a Democratic household and became a Republican as an adult. “Democrats need to distance themselves from socialism.”
He said he was concerned by Paxton’s legal and political baggage, but not sold on Talarico’s ability to do the job without undue influence from Democratic leaders. He said he intended to carefully study both candidates before reaching a decision.
“I think every election is an opportunity to send a message,” Rodak said.
Rodak is the kind of voter who Republicans are intensely targeting in the final weeks of the race, hopeful they will come home once they learn more about Talarico.
From the start of September through Election Day, Republican-aligned groups are planning to spend $232 million — more than they’re set to spend on competitive Senate campaigns in Michigan and Maine combined. The bulk of the outside spending by the GOP has come from Texas PAC, a group affiliated with the Senate Leadership Fund, the top Republican super PAC in Senate races.
“If you care about your children, do not vote for James Talarico,” a woman says in one ad, suggesting Talarico supports gender-affirming surgery for minors.
Talarico voted against a 2023 bill prohibiting gender-affirming care for minors, but he now says he opposes surgeries and opposed the bill because it was too broad. In an ad of his own, he faces the camera directly and says: “No, I don’t support sex-change surgeries for kids.”
In trying to shore up its voters, the GOP has even deployed Paxton’s estranged wife, Angela Paxton, to make the case that Republicans should stick with the entire ticket, even if they have reservations about specific candidates.
In the final weeks of the race, Trump has focused relentlessly on Texas. On each of his last three visits, he has aggressively assailed Talarico, as he tries to rescue Paxton’s candidacy. Vice President JD Vance appeared with Paxton on Tuesday in East Texas, a deep-red region where the candidate needs his base to turn out in large numbers.
“We cannot elect Tala-freako to the US Senate,” Vance said, repeating an insult Trump has repeatedly used against Talarico.
Nodecker, who voted for Trump in 2016 and 2020 but became infuriated by him after his response to the January 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol, said he believes Trump’s frequent trips to Texas could backfire and motivate his critics more than his remaining loyalists.
“If anything,” Nodecker said, “it persuades me to go the opposite direction even more.”
CNN’s Ashley Killough contributed to this report.