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Candidates › Texas U.S. Senate race › 2025–2026
James Talarico
D Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate, Texas
Has not served in Congress
- On the ballot
- On the general election ballotNov 3, 2026 · Texas US Senate
- Where to vote
- Find your polling place (opens in a new tab) · More ways to vote
- Top priorities
- Corruption & Democracy
- Taxes & Cost of Living
- Public Education
- Health Care
- Freedom, Family & Faith
- Money
- $146.3M raised, $136.4M spent, $9.9M cash on hand (through Oct 14, 2026). Where it comes from
- Who gives
- 54% of individual money from donors at $200 or less · 59% from Texas · largest committee giver DSCC, $62K
- Outside groups
- $25.7M supporting, $112M opposing Talarico
- Backed by
- Houston Chronicle Editorial Board. As the campaign lists them
- Polling
- 49% in the latest poll (CNN/SSRS) · leads Ken Paxton by 4.6 points on average. The polls
13 priorities from jamestalarico.com, in the order they are listed there. Every heading and the text under it is copied exactly, as one passage for each page it is from, and links to that place on the page; hover a source to see which passage it opens.
Getting Big Money Out of Politics ↗ (opens jamestalarico.com/issue/corruption-democracy at this heading)
Politics feels corrupt because it is. James Talarico hasn’t taken a dime of corporate PAC money since his first race in 2017. His anti-corruption agenda bans super PACs and corporate PACs, bans stock trading by members of Congress, and closes billionaire tax loopholes.
My Priorities in the U.S. Senate ↗ (opens jamestalarico.com/issue/corruption-democracy at this heading)
- Get Big Money out of our politics: Reverse the impact of the Supreme Court’s Citizens United ruling, including by banning super PACs and corporate PACs.
- Ban partisan gerrymandering nationwide: Establish independent redistricting commissions so that voters can choose their politicians — not the other way around.
- Make it easier for citizens to participate in our elections: Pass the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act to remove unnecessary barriers to registering to vote and casting a ballot.
- Ban Congressional stock trading: Ban Members of Congress from trading individual stocks, engaging in insider trading, and profiting from their positions.
- Institute term limits on Members of Congress: Implement term limits of six two-year terms in the House and two six-year terms in the Senate to bring new perspectives to Congress and prevent entrenched, career politicians who are not accountable to their constituents.
- Require Members of Congress to hold annual town halls: Ensure officials are listening and responding to their constituents through yearly town halls in their district.
- Ban presidential pardons: Eliminate the broad power of presidential pardons that has been abused by presidents on both sides of the aisle.
- Increase accountability for the Supreme Court: Implement term limits and a binding code of conduct for U.S. Supreme Court justices, including mandating rules for recusals, financial disclosures, and limitations on accepting gifts.
- Increase oversight and improve ethics at all levels of government: Defend against government efforts to ignore court rulings or dismantle checks and balances, and only confirm judicial appointees who meet the highest ethical standards and commit to upholding the Constitution.
source ↗ (opens the page at this passage) · jamestalarico.com/issue/corruption-democracy
Heading as listed on jamestalarico.com/issues ↗ (opens jamestalarico.com/issues at this heading)
Lowering What Texans Pay ↗ (opens jamestalarico.com/issue/taxes-cost-of-living at this heading)
Why is everything so expensive in Texas? James Talarico worked with Republicans to deliver the largest property tax cut in Texas history. In the Senate, he’ll cut taxes for working people, cap credit card interest rates, and lower the cost of rent, groceries, utilities, and gas by making billionaires and giant corporations pay their fair share.
My Priorities in the U.S. Senate ↗ (opens jamestalarico.com/issue/taxes-cost-of-living at this heading)
- Pass a cost-of-living tax cut for the middle class: Expand the Child Tax Credit and Earned Income Tax Credit, restore the ACA Tax Credits, and provide a tariff rebate to Americans who have been paying too much for everything, and pay for it by closing tax loopholes and making the wealthiest Americans and giant corporations pay their fair share.
Create a fairer tax system: Make giant corporations and the wealthiest Americans pay their fair share of taxes. (That way, we can cut taxes for working families and small businesses.)
- Make billionaires pay their fair share in taxes — including by imposing a higher tax on their income and capital gains and ending the dubious “buy, borrow, die” loopholes that billionaires use to grow untaxed wealth.
- Make corporations pay their fair share in taxes — including by raising the corporate tax rate (it has fallen by HALF since the mid-1980s!), ending the “carried interest” tax loopholes that allow hedge funds to avoid paying billions that they owe, and rolling back other extreme tax breaks that allow the largest corporations to pay $0 in federal income taxes.
- Raise the tax on corporate stock buybacks, which corporations use to artificially inflate their stock prices instead of making investments in research and development or to pay their employees the full value of their work.
- Increase wages for workers, not CEOs: Raise the federal minimum wage to $15 an hour, and incentivize CEOs to pay fair wages by creating a special tax on corporations that pay their top executives more than 250 times their median worker’s salary.
- Ensure Americans can afford to retire: Fight tooth and nail against attacks on Medicare and Social Security, ensure the wealthiest Americans pay their fair share into Social Security by eliminating the tax cap on those earning over $400,000 a year, and incentivize employer-sponsored pensions.
- Expand tax credits that support working families: Expand the Child Tax Credit and the Earned Income Tax Credit, which reward hard work, offset the cost of raising children, and can save the government money over the long-term.
- Lower health care and prescription drug costs: Create a federal public health insurance option that competes with private insurance, institute caps on out-of-pocket costs for lifesaving drugs, reinstate the Affordable Care Act (ACA)’s enhanced premium tax credits, increase price transparency and Medicare’s negotiating power to ensure fair pricing, incentivize the development and approvals of generics, regulate pharmacy benefit managers to ensure they’re not up-charging patients, and break up healthcare monopolies that are raising prices on all of us.
- Lower housing costs: Stop corporate landlords from engaging in market manipulation to artificially hike rents, ban Wall Street from buying up housing stock to enrich wealthy investors while making it harder for families to afford homes, expand the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit, repeal outdated red tape that hinders the construction of housing, support legislation to lower property insurance costs, and create a federal task force charged with helping communities use quality, cost-effective options like factory-built “modular” homes to speed up construction timelines.
- Lower grocery costs: Stand up to attacks against SNAP and WIC, increase oversight into mergers and acquisitions that artificially jack up prices, remove tariffs on produce that can’t be grown in the United States, and reduce barriers to entry for new grocery providers to increase market competition.
- Lower energy costs: Require AI data centers to pay for their own energy infrastructure updates so those costs aren’t passed on to consumers, diversify our energy sources to drive down costs, expand the Energy Star program that educates consumers about energy-efficient products, and modernize the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program’s disbursement formula to ensure that hot climate states — like Texas — receive equitable funds to help families with utility costs.
- Repeal the Trump tariffs: Repeal the Trump tariffs that are making everything — from groceries to cars to clothing — more expensive.
- Cap sky-high credit card interest rates: Rein in the predatory credit card companies ripping people off.
source ↗ (opens the page at this passage) · jamestalarico.com/issue/taxes-cost-of-living
Heading as listed on jamestalarico.com/issues ↗ (opens jamestalarico.com/issues at this heading)
A Former Teacher Fighting for Public Schools ↗ (opens jamestalarico.com/issue/public-education at this heading)
James Talarico taught sixth grade on San Antonio’s West Side and led the fight against private school vouchers in the Texas House. He’ll keep public money in public schools, hire more teachers, raise teacher pay, and bring universal Pre-K to every Texas family.
My Priorities in the U.S. Senate ↗ (opens jamestalarico.com/issue/public-education at this heading)
- Boost reading and math achievement: Provide grants and other incentives to encourage public schools to adopt evidence-based strategies like phonics, early literacy programs, and 1:1 intensive tutoring.
- Hire more teachers and equip them with what they need to succeed: Expand programs like the Teacher Quality Partnership, the Supporting Effective Educator Development program, and the TEACH grant that fund and enhance teacher training and are helping to close the teacher workforce gap.
- Stand up to Big Money and fight private school voucher scams: Reject the voucher scams being pushed by billionaire mega-donors that defund public schools to subsidize private education for the wealthiest Americans.
- Secure universal early childhood education and affordable childcare: Establish universal Pre-K for every 3- and 4-year-old, make strong investments in childcare for children under 3, and protect Head Start.
- Support special education students: Protect federal oversight that ensures special education students receive the funding and support they need to be successful.
- Set students on career paths: Start students on flexible career paths in middle and high school by improving junior college and Career and Technical Education programs.
- Prioritize student health so kids can learn in the classroom: Expand the National School Lunch and School Breakfast programs (because no student can learn on an empty stomach!) and add more counselors to ensure kids have the mental health resources and other support they need in school.
- Ensure AI is a benefit, not a harm, in the classroom: Establish recommended guidelines that can help states and schools safely use AI in the classroom in ways that enhance — rather than hinder — learning opportunities and educational outcomes.
source ↗ (opens the page at this passage) · jamestalarico.com/issue/public-education
Heading as listed on jamestalarico.com/issues ↗ (opens jamestalarico.com/issues at this heading)
Lower Costs and Coverage Texans Can Count On ↗ (opens jamestalarico.com/issue/health-care at this heading)
James Talarico capped insulin at $25 a month in Texas and got it through a Republican legislature. In the Senate, he’ll protect Texans’ health insurance and Medicaid, lower drug costs and medical debt, and end Texas’ maternal mortality crisis.
My Priorities in the U.S. Senate ↗ (opens jamestalarico.com/issue/health-care at this heading)
- Allow every American — regardless of their age — to join Medicare: Provide an affordable not-for-profit health care option for every American, while also bringing down costs for those who don’t participate by increasing competition with private insurance.
- Break up Big Medicine: Support bipartisan antitrust legislation to stop vertically integrated health-care conglomerates, including pharmacy benefit managers, insurance companies, big hospital networks, and other healthcare monopolies that put profit above the well-being of patients.
- Lower prescription drug costs: Increase price transparency and negotiating power to ensure fair pricing, incentivize the development and approval of generic drugs, institute caps on out-of-pocket costs, and regulate pharmacy benefit managers to ensure they’re not up-charging patients.
- Protect health coverage and lower premiums: Protect and improve the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and reverse the Trump Administration’s dangerous cuts to the ACA enhanced tax credits, Medicare, and Medicaid that will kick 15 million Americans off their insurance and raise premiums for millions more.
- Reform the prior authorization system: Ensure that insurance companies do not arbitrarily deny patients the medication and treatments that their health care providers have determined necessary.
- Address Texas’ maternal mortality crisis: End maternal care deserts, improve data collection, provider training, and investment in maternal health research, extend eligibility for the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC), expand the Healthy Start Program, and guarantee all new mothers can take time off work to tend to their health.
- Restore access to reproductive health care in Texas: Codify Roe v. Wade and protect access to contraception and IVF so that families can get the reproductive care they need and so that women are no longer dying needlessly due to Texas’ dangerous abortion ban.
- Save rural hospitals: Prioritize recruiting and retaining rural health care workers, improve Medicaid and Medicare reimbursement rates to more swiftly deliver payments to hospitals, and make sure rural hospitals have the funding they need to continue to serve as vital employers and health care providers.
- Protect Americans from crippling medical debt: Cancel eligible medical debt and stop hospitals and insurance companies from overcharging patients, regulate medical debt collection practices, bar the inclusion of medical debt in credit scores, and increase transparency and public reporting of both medical billing practices and the allocation of financial assistance provided by hospitals so Texans no longer go into debt when they get sick.
- Ensure veterans have access to the services they’ve earned: Stand against efforts to privatize the VA, and fund the agency to ensure every veteran receives the quality care they need.
source ↗ (opens the page at this passage) · jamestalarico.com/issue/health-care
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Personal Freedom, Working Families, and Religious Liberty ↗ (opens jamestalarico.com/issue/freedom-family-faith at this heading)
James Talarico is a Christian and a Presbyterian seminarian whose faith is guided by two commandments: love God and love your neighbor. He defends the separation of church and state, opposes book bans and the Texas THC ban, and fights for paid family leave and affordable child care.
My Priorities in the U.S. Senate ↗ (opens jamestalarico.com/issue/freedom-family-faith at this heading)
Freedom
- Oppose censorship and protect the freedom of speech: Oppose book banning and cancel culture, pass the No Political Enemies Act to protect individuals and organizations from being targeted by the government for exercising their freedom of speech, and defend the freedom of the press.
- Get government out of Americans’ private personal decisions: Restore reproductive freedom with federal legislation to codify Roe v. Wade and protect access to contraception and IVF, protect the legality of gay marriage and defend our LGBTQ+ neighbors from government overreach, and legalize regulated marijuana for adults so that we no longer put people behind bars for a substance that is already legal in half the country.
Family
- Make it easier to start and raise a family: Expand the Child Tax Credit to help families with the cost of raising children, pass paid family leave legislation that would allow Americans to take time off work to bond with a new child or care for a seriously ill family member, and expand access to affordable child care so that no parent has to choose between continuing their career and starting a family.
- Make it easier for families to care for their aging loved ones: Increase access to eldercare by passing the Older Americans Act Reauthorization Act to expand affordable home- and community-based care for seniors, and prioritize the development of a high-quality elder care workforce.
Faith
- Defend the separation of church and state and continue to speak out against those who twist the meaning of faith to hurt our neighbors: Pass the Do No Harm Act to protect religious liberty and prevent religious discrimination; take vigorous action against antisemitism, Islamophobia, and other faith-based hate crimes; and reject policies that force religion into neutral public spaces like schools, prisons, courts, and the military.
source ↗ (opens the page at this passage) · jamestalarico.com/issue/freedom-family-faith
Heading as listed on jamestalarico.com/issues ↗ (opens jamestalarico.com/issues at this heading)
Secure the Border, Fix the System ↗ (opens jamestalarico.com/issue/immigration-border-security at this heading)
James Talarico believes our border should have a welcome mat out front and a lock on the door. His plan, endorsed by a Republican sheriff, hires more Border Patrol agents, cracks down on the cartels, and passes comprehensive immigration reform to fix a broken system.
My Priorities in the U.S. Senate ↗ (opens jamestalarico.com/issue/immigration-border-security at this heading)
- Pass comprehensive immigration reform: Secure the border, make it easier to come here legally, and supercharge our economy.
- Focus ICE resources on improving public safety and national security: Prioritize the deportation of criminals, gang members, and human traffickers — not our neighbors who contribute to our communities, pay taxes, and pose no threat to our safety.
- Hold ICE accountable for abuses: Ban ICE agents from wearing masks or refusing to show identification, and hold them accountable when they break the law.
- Create pathways to legalization for certain undocumented immigrants: Create a path to citizenship for the immigrants who have been here the longest and certain groups like spouses and DREAMers, while allowing those who recently arrived to apply for temporary work permits if they are filling a job that will help lower costs for Americans.
- Modernize ports of entry to better detect threats before they enter the country: Develop and deploy cutting-edge X-Ray and other technologies to better detect drugs at ports of entry, where over 90% of the fentanyl comes into the country.
- Reform the asylum system: Hire more immigration judges to clear the asylum backlog, root out fraud in the system so that only legitimate claims are approved, and ensure legitimate asylees receive protection quickly.
- Create an employer sponsorship program focused specifically on lowering costs for Americans: Make it easier for businesses (particularly small businesses) to hire migrant workers in sectors like housing construction and agriculture to reduce labor shortages, address supply chain issues, and lower inflation.
- Improve standards on guest worker visas: Ensure strong labor standards on guest worker visas and crack down on employers who game the system to exploit immigrants or displace American workers and suppress their wages.
source ↗ (opens the page at this passage) · jamestalarico.com/issue/immigration-border-security
Heading as listed on jamestalarico.com/issues ↗ (opens jamestalarico.com/issues at this heading)
Keeping Kids Safe and Holding Platforms Accountable ↗ (opens jamestalarico.com/issue/social-media-artificial-intelligence-tech at this heading)
Predatory algorithms are profiting off our outrage. James Talarico will keep kids safe online, give parents more control over their children’s social media, and hold social media companies accountable without limiting free speech.
My Priorities in the U.S. Senate ↗ (opens jamestalarico.com/issue/social-media-artificial-intelligence-tech at this heading)
- Hold data centers accountable and stop them from jacking up our utility bills: End sweetheart tax deals for big tech companies, guarantee large energy users like data centers fund the infrastructure improvements they need rather than passing those costs on to consumers, require new data centers to use a closed-loop system to reduce water consumption and pollution, set minimum federal requirements for new data center projects to protect our grid, environment, and jobs and ensure transparency, and empower local communities to decide whether they want a data center in their town.
- Establish an AI Dividend: Institute a tax on the AI-attributable profits and use that tax to issue annual dividends to Americans and pay for entrepreneurship grants, so every citizen owns a piece of the growth of AI profits.
- Regulate social media companies without infringing on free speech: Pass commonsense safeguards to keep kids safe online — like giving parents more control over their children’s social media use and prohibiting platforms from using algorithms to send targeted content to minors; require social media companies to conduct regular impact assessments to check algorithms for bias, fairness, privacy, and security; and rein in broad immunity protections for companies.
- Ensure America continues to lead the world in the quality of its tech workforce: Invest in STEM education to foster the next generation of responsible tech leaders, as well as programs like Registered Apprenticeships aimed at re-training workers displaced or at risk of being displaced by AI so they can excel in industry-leading technology jobs.
- Ensure AI works for working people: Protect workers from invasive AI surveillance in the workplace; use AI to make jobs safer and less repetitive; create pathways for workers to move into higher-skilled, better-paying roles as the economy evolves; ensure AI companies follow the same copyright laws as everyone else; include worker voices in government-funded AI research and development; and defend the right to transparency and human review for automated decisionmaking around promotions, discipline, and terminations.
- Ensure AI data centers do not disrupt communities or raise energy costs for Americans: Guarantee large energy users like data centers fund the infrastructure improvements they need rather than passing those costs on to consumers, and support legislation to study the best ways for America to take advantage of the benefits of AI without disrupting communities.
- Protect national security amid innovation: Pass legislation to enforce and strengthen export controls to keep advanced AI chips out of the hands of adversaries who would use them against us.
- Invest in digital literacy programs: Create federal grant programs for schools, libraries, and community partners to teach critical skills for identifying misinformation, using digital media responsibly, and helping parents protect their children online.
- Expand access to high-speed internet: Increase funding dedicated to expanding high-speed internet access across Texas to meet the federal government’s original $3.3 billion commitment to our state.
- Support clear, fair rules for cryptocurrency: Bring digital assets within a clear regulatory structure so crypto companies play by the same rules as everyone else — protecting consumers from fraud while letting legitimate innovation thrive.
source ↗ (opens the page at this passage) · jamestalarico.com/issue/social-media-artificial-intelligence-tech
Heading as listed on jamestalarico.com/issues ↗ (opens jamestalarico.com/issues at this heading)
Safe Neighborhoods for Every Texan ↗ (opens jamestalarico.com/issue/public-safety-justice at this heading)
Every Texan deserves a safe neighborhood. James Talarico will give law enforcement the resources it needs, protect the Second Amendment while passing universal background checks, and stop crime before it happens.
My Priorities in the U.S. Senate ↗ (opens jamestalarico.com/issue/public-safety-justice at this heading)
- Address the root causes of crime: Prioritize services like well-funded schools, youth programs, mental health care, and substance abuse treatment as critical investments to prevent crime before it happens.
- Strengthen law enforcement agencies: Ensure law enforcement agencies at the federal, state, and local level have the resources necessary to investigate and prosecute criminals, and support strong investments in police training, oversight, and accountability.
- Support survivors of crime: Expand funding for the Victims of Crime Act and Violence Against Women Act to better support survivors with financial, legal, housing, and counseling support.
- Protect the Second Amendment while protecting our neighbors from gun violence: Establish universal background checks for gun sales, prioritize the prosecution of firearms traffickers who are illegally flooding our communities with guns that get into the hands of criminals, require firearms to be securely stored around children in the home, and raise the age to purchase semi-automatic rifles with certain military-style features like high-capacity magazines.
- Legalize regulated marijuana for adults: Ensure law enforcement is focused on going after violent crime and not low-level marijuana offenses, expunge criminal arrest records related to marijuana use, and regulate and impose taxes on its sale to support public safety and health programs.
- Invest in strong reentry programs: Invest in job training, housing, and treatment that reduce recidivism and provide formerly incarcerated people with the tools they need to successfully rejoin their communities
source ↗ (opens the page at this passage) · jamestalarico.com/issue/public-safety-justice
Heading as listed on jamestalarico.com/issues ↗ (opens jamestalarico.com/issues at this heading)
Higher Wages and a Fair Shot for Small Businesses ↗ (opens jamestalarico.com/issue/labor-business at this heading)
Supporting workers and supporting small businesses go hand in hand. James Talarico will raise the minimum wage to $15, expand overtime, pass paid family leave, protect the freedom to unionize, and give small businesses a fair shot against giant corporations.
My Priorities in the U.S. Senate ↗ (opens jamestalarico.com/issue/labor-business at this heading)
- Raise wages and reward hard work: Raise the federal minimum wage to $15 an hour, expand overtime eligibility, and incentivize CEOs to pay fair wages by creating a special tax on corporations that pay their top executives more than 250 times their median worker’s salary. Implement tax credits and subsidies to help small- and medium-sized businesses adapt to a minimum wage raise without cutting jobs or hours.
- Even the playing field between giant corporations and small businesses: End the extreme tax breaks that allow the largest corporations to pay $0 in federal income taxes so that we can help more entrepreneurs make their dreams a reality. Expand support for Community Development Financial Institutions and community banks to increase access to credit and capital, broaden eligibility for Small Business Administration loan programs, and support states in providing more equity investment and technical assistance for small businesses.
- Protect the retirement benefits working people have earned: Fight tooth and nail against attacks on Social Security and Medicare, ensure the wealthiest Americans pay their fair share into Social Security by eliminating the tax cap on those earning over $400,000 a year, and incentivize employer-sponsored pensions.
- Ensure AI works for working people: Protect workers from invasive AI surveillance in the workplace; use AI to make jobs safer and less repetitive, rather than to eliminate them; create pathways for workers to move into higher-skilled, better-paying roles as the economy evolves; ensure AI companies follow the same copyright laws as everyone else; include worker voices in government-funded AI research and development, and defend the right to transparency and human review for automated decisionmaking around promotions, discipline, and terminations.
- Ensure no Texan has to choose between their career and their family: Pass paid family leave legislation that would allow Americans to take time off work to bond with a new child or care for a seriously ill family member, and expand access to affordable childcare (which helps businesses, too!).
- Support workers’ right to unionize: Pass the PRO Act so that all working people have the freedom to join together and negotiate with their employers for better wages and working conditions.
- Keep more jobs in Texas with fair trade policies, not counterproductive tariffs: Repeal the Trump Administration’s overly broad tariffs that are hurting consumers and businesses. Instead, advocate for and approve trade deal protections that prevent foreign competitors from undercutting American workers by exploiting weak labor laws abroad.
- Reduce labor shortages and bring down costs with smart immigration policies that don’t harm American workers: Make it easier for small businesses to hire migrant workers in sectors like housing construction and agriculture to reduce labor shortages, address supply chain issues, and lower costs. Ensure strong labor standards on those visas and crack down on employers who game the system to displace American workers or suppress their wages.
source ↗ (opens the page at this passage) · jamestalarico.com/issue/labor-business
Heading as listed on jamestalarico.com/issues ↗ (opens jamestalarico.com/issues at this heading)
Hospitals, Schools, Water, and Broadband for Rural Texas ↗ (opens jamestalarico.com/issue/rural-investment at this heading)
Rural Texas built this state, but voucher scams are draining its public schools and data centers are taking over its farmland. James Talarico will protect rural schools, bring high-speed internet and clean water to every corner of the state, and stand with the farmers and ranchers who feed Texas, so young people can build a life close to home.
My Priorities in the U.S. Senate ↗ (opens jamestalarico.com/issue/rural-investment at this heading)
- Repeal policies that are hurting Texas farmers and ranchers: Oppose new foreign beef imports like the Argentina buyout and cuts to essential USDA programs that protect our herd from pests like the New World Screwworm, and remove the Trump Administration’s tariffs on farm inputs like equipment and fertilizer that are making Texas agricultural production more expensive — as well as those on produce that have sparked retaliatory tariffs on key agricultural exports.
- Save rural hospitals: Prioritize recruiting and retaining rural healthcare workers, improve Medicaid and Medicare reimbursement rates to more swiftly deliver payments to hospitals, and make sure rural hospitals have the funding they need to continue to serve as vital employers and health care providers.
- Reject private school voucher scams: Oppose the federal voucher scam being pushed by billionaires like Betsy DeVos — which would defund public schools to subsidize private education for the wealthy, disproportionately harming rural areas where public schools are the community’s largest employer.
- Help young people stay and contribute to their hometowns: Dedicate technical support toward economic and community development activities that address gaps in job opportunities, child care, internet connectivity, and housing that are pushing many young families out of rural communities.
- Expand access to high-speed internet: Increase funding dedicated to expanding high-speed internet access across Texas to meet the federal government’s original $3.3 billion commitment to our state.
- Support a strong agricultural workforce: Expand workforce development to train new workers in the industry, support farmer-to-farmer programs, and help farmers and ranchers lower food costs for Americans by responsibly hiring migrant workers when they can’t find Americans to fill their jobs — including by simplifying the H-2A visa program application and ensuring strong labor standards on those visas so that employers do not game the system to displace American workers and suppress their wages.
- Expand water access: Make it easier for rural communities to access low-interest loans and grants for constructing or upgrading water systems.
source ↗ (opens the page at this passage) · jamestalarico.com/issue/rural-investment
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Strong Alliances, No More Forever Wars ↗ (opens jamestalarico.com/issue/foreign-policy at this heading)
For Texans, foreign policy isn’t foreign. James Talarico will end the forever war in Iran that’s driving up the cost of gas and groceries, keep Iran from getting a nuclear weapon, stand with our allies, and lead with moral clarity.
My Priorities in the U.S. Senate ↗ (opens jamestalarico.com/issue/foreign-policy at this heading)
- Keep Iran from getting a nuclear weapon — without another forever war: Find an end to this disastrous war that ensures Iran does not develop a nuclear weapon, supports the democracy movement, and stops costing American taxpayers hundreds of billions of dollars.
- Serve the veterans who have served all of us: Stand against efforts to privatize the VA, reverse the Trump Administration’s mass terminations of federal veteran employees, and ensure veterans have access to housing, job training, career opportunities, and real pathways to stability when they come home.
- Repeal unnecessary tariffs and support responsible trade: Roll back the Trump Administration’s tariff policies that are raising costs for American consumers and hurting Texas business owners, reject actions that risk escalating trade wars, and support trade partnerships that include strong protections for American workers.
- Deepen cooperation with NATO, the EU, and other allies: Encourage more — not less — cooperation with our foreign allies as a means to promote human rights, build more resilient supply chains to combat inflation, prevent nuclear proliferation, and protect America’s interests both at home and abroad.
- Restore investments in diplomacy and international development: Ensure the State Department is fully funded and staffed, reverse the unlawful dismantling of the U.S. Agency for International Development, and restore investments in programs that combat violence, famine, disease, and human suffering — recognizing that these investments are strategic to America’s interests.
- Take urgent action to support peace in the Middle East: Protect innocent life by stopping offensive weapons sales to the Netanyahu government while supporting defensive systems like the Iron Dome alongside agreements that American funds will not be used to harm civilians; use all of America’s financial and diplomatic leverage to secure a two-state solution that disarms Hamas, establishes a democratic Palestinian state, halts Israel’s illegal settlements, and respects the sovereignty of both nations; and promote long-term regional cooperation to defend American interests against adversaries like Iran.
- Ensure Ukraine remains free and independent: Support measures that enable America, Ukraine, and our European partners to negotiate from a position of strength to ensure Ukraine’s long-term security, protect the stability of Europe, and hold Russia accountable for the cost of its aggression.
- Stand up for human rights: Use our international influence to defend persecuted people around the world, including by taking action to stop human rights abuses, such as those suffered by the Uyghurs, Rohingya, and Sudanese.
source ↗ (opens the page at this passage) · jamestalarico.com/issue/foreign-policy
Heading as listed on jamestalarico.com/issues ↗ (opens jamestalarico.com/issues at this heading)
A Reliable Grid and Lower Energy Bills ↗ (opens jamestalarico.com/issue/energy-environment at this heading)
Will the Texas grid hold this winter? James Talarico will weatherproof the grid, lower electric bills, and keep Texas the world’s energy leader with an all-of-the-above strategy that protects good-paying oil and gas jobs and grows wind, solar, and geothermal.
My Priorities in the U.S. Senate ↗ (opens jamestalarico.com/issue/energy-environment at this heading)
- Make energy more available, reliable, and affordable in Texas: Reinstate federal tax credits, loans, and other tools that diversify energy production and accelerate renewable energy development; streamline permitting processes for energy projects without compromising environmental protections; and make gasoline more affordable by investing in pipeline fortification and building supply chains for critical minerals and transformers.
- Provide emergency relief for Texas families struggling to pay their energy bills: Expand funding and eligibility for the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP), which helps families pay their utility bills during times when energy costs are spiking.
- Protect Texans from future increases in energy costs: Require large energy users like AI data centers to cover the cost of the energy infrastructure updates they need so those costs aren’t passed onto consumers; crack down on energy price gouging during natural disasters and other emergencies; and modernize the LIHEAP disbursement formula to ensure that hot climate states — like Texas — receive equitable funds to help families with utility costs.
- Create jobs and grow our energy workforce: Add to Texas’ hundreds of thousands of oil, gas, wind, and solar jobs by creating good-paying jobs for cutting-edge projects like geothermal and hydrogen-fueled energy, as well as finishing the job of plugging abandoned oil and gas wells. Maintain Texas’ energy leadership by establishing more job training and Registered Apprenticeship programs focused on energy engineering, manufacturing, and construction.
- Protect the air we breathe and the water we drink: Prioritize strengthening the Clean Air Act and the Clean Water Act.
- Prepare for extreme weather events and support those impacted by them: Cut red tape so more Texans can benefit from the Department of Energy’s Weatherization Assistance Program, expand eligibility for FEMA’s Pre-Disaster Mitigation Program to help fortify at-risk homes and businesses, and more effectively provide assistance after disasters like Hurricane Harvey instead of leaving families in crisis.
- Strengthen the Texas energy grid: Dedicate greater federal resources to help Texas weatherproof our power grid and update aging infrastructure, without letting energy companies off the hook for contributing their fair share.
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