| James Talarico | |
| State House: | Texas |
| District: | 50th |
| Predecessor: | Celia Israel |
| Term Start: | January 10, 2023 |
| State House1: | Texas |
| District1: | 52nd |
| Term Start1: | November 19, 2018 |
| Term End1: | January 10, 2023 |
| Predecessor1: | Larry Gonzales |
| Successor1: | Caroline Harris (redistricting) |
| Birth Date: | 17 May 1989 |
| Birth Place: | Round Rock, Texas, U.S. |
| Party: | Democratic |
| Education: | University of Texas, Austin (BA) Harvard University (MA) |
| Birth Name: | James Dell Talarico |
James Dell Talarico (born May 17, 1989) is an American politician and former teacher. He was elected to the Texas House of Representatives in 2018 to represent District 52, which includes the cities of Round Rock, Taylor, Hutto, and Georgetown in Williamson County. Following the 2020 redistricting cycle, Talarico announced his run for a seat in District 50 in 2022, which he won. He is a member of the Democratic Party.
Talarico currently serves on the Texas House of Representatives' Public Education Committee, Calendars Committee, and Juvenile Justice and Family Issues Committee.[1]
Talarico was born at Round Rock Hospital in Williamson County, Texas, to Tamara Causey and was later adopted by Mark Talarico. He has a younger sister. He attended Round Rock ISD schools and graduated from McNeil High School in Williamson County.
Talarico earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in government from the University of Texas at Austin,[2] where he organized students for tuition relief.[3] Talarico was a member of the Friar Society, the University of Texas's oldest honor society.[4] He later earned a Master of Arts degree in education policy from Harvard University.[5]
In August 2022, while a member of the Texas House of Representatives, Talarico began pursuing a Master of Divinity at Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary, which he is set to complete in 2025.
In 2011, Talarico joined Teach For America, teaching sixth grade English language arts at Rhodes Middle School on the west side of San Antonio.[6] After two years he left the classroom. Talarico became the Central Texas executive director for Reasoning Mind, a Texas nonprofit focusing on bringing technology to low-income classrooms.
Talarico launched his campaign for the Texas House shortly after incumbent state legislator Larry Gonzales announced his retirement. At 28, Talarico won both the special and general elections against Republican Cynthia Flores in 2018,[7] garnering media attention for walking the full length of the district.[8]
Talarico was sworn into the Texas House of Representatives on November 20, 2018. He was appointed to the Public Education and Juvenile Justice Committees, and currently serves as the youngest member of the Texas Legislature.[9]
In the 86th Texas Legislature, he filed the Whole Student Agenda, a legislative package with bills addressing public education policy. As a member of the Public Education Committee, he helped draft House Bill 3, which contained $11.6 billion in funds for school finance and property tax reform.[10]
During Talarico's first term, a recording of Texas House Speaker Dennis Bonnen was leaked by Michael Quinn Sullivan of the conservative advocacy group Empower Texans. In it, Bonnen claimed he had recruited a challenger for "that Talarico kid."[11]
Talarico won re-election against former Hutto City Councilmember Lucio Valdez with 51.5 percent of the vote.[12] For the 87th Legislative Session, he was reappointed to the Public Education and Juvenile Justice Committees and appointed to the Calendars committee.[13]
During the 87th legislative session, he filed Javier Ambler's Law, demanding an end to police contracts with reality TV shows,[14] in response to the role Live PD is alleged to have played in the killing of Javier Ambler by Williamson County police. He had previously criticized Sheriff Robert Chody's handling of the incident, calling for his resignation.[15]
Talarico was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes during a five-day stint in the ICU after a 2018 campaign event where he walked 25 miles. In response, he passed a bill which caps prices at $25 for each insulin prescription per month.[16] [17]
At the end of the legislative session, he was named one of the Best Legislators by Texas Monthly magazine.[18]
After his district was made significantly more Republican during the 2020 redistricting process, Talarico announced that he would run in the neighboring House District 50, a safe Democratic seat being vacated by Rep. Celia Israel.[19] [20] [21]
He won the primary election with 78.5 percent of the vote and won the general election with 76.8 percent of the vote.[22]
During the 88th legislative session, he passed House Bill 25, which creates the Texas Wholesale Prescription Drug Importation Program and allows Texas to import lower-cost Canadian medications that are approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.[23]
Talarico was an outspoken critic of SB 1515, which sought to have the Ten Commandments displayed in a "conspicuous place" in elementary and secondary classrooms.[24] The bill was declared dead in May 2023.[25]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
| Democratic | James Talarico | 36,798 | 51.7% | |
| Republican | Cynthia Flores | 34,340 | 48.3% | |
| Margin | 2,438 | 3.4% | ||
| Texas Special Election, 2018: House District 52[27] | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
| Democratic | James Talarico | 32,235 | 50.89% | |
| Republican | Cynthia Flores | 31,113 | 49.11% | |
| Margin | 1,122 | 1.78% | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
| Democratic | James Talarico | 50,520 | 51.5% | |
| Republican | Lucio Valdez | 47,611 | 48.5% | |
| Margin | 2,909 | 3.0% | ||
| Texas Democratic Primary Election, 2022: House District 50[29] | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
| Democratic | James Talarico | 9,117 | 78.5 | |
| Democratic | David Alcorta | 2,497 | 21.5% | |
| Margin | 6,620 | 57% | ||
| Texas General Election, 2022: House District 50[30] | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
| Democratic | James Talarico | 36,876 | 76.8% | |
| Republican | Victor Johnson | 9,717 | 20.3% | |
| Margin | 27,159 | 56.5% | ||
Talarico professes a Christian faith and was raised Presbyterian.[31] He is active in St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church in Austin.[32]