Texas Democratic candidate for the U.S. Senate, James Talarico, appears to be taking a more moderate stance on border security. His latest campaign advertisement includes criticism of former President Joe Biden’s approach to border security.
In the advertisement released on Monday, Talarico states he called out Joe Biden for failing to secure the border. However, his campaign couldn’t provide examples of any previous public critiques of Biden during his presidency.
In a 2019 interview with The Austin Chronicle, Talarico explicitly advocated redirecting Texas’ $800 million biennial border security budget to fund public education. At the time, this budget was dedicated to preventing illegal immigration.
“I’d rather take that money and put it back into public education,” Talarico stated, reflecting on his view in the interview.
Talarico’s shift to a more moderate stance coincides with criticism that he might be too progressive for a Senate seat in Texas, a state known for its strong conservative leanings. His moderation on immigration began with his Senate bid as Texas sees high rates of illegal immigration.
Further, Talarico criticized efforts to boost border enforcement through physical measures like boats, planes, and border patrol agents, describing these as expensive and insufficient.
In 2019, border crossings under the Trump administration reached record lows according to the Department of Homeland Security, following enforcement actions undertaken by the administration.
“Certain lawmakers want to appease extreme parts of their base,” Talarico remarked in the interview, criticizing the political motivations behind border spending.
Previously, Talarico had strong left-wing stances on immigration such as dismantling ICE, referring to illegal aliens as constituents, and calling Governor Greg Abbott’s policies “atrocities.”
Despite his shifts, Talarico’s campaign emphasizes his balanced approach on border issues, stressing his endorsement by both Republican and Democratic border county sheriffs.
Recently, Talarico assured voters that he was recovering from the flu after being briefly absent from the campaign trail, debunking rumors regarding his attendance at a behavioral health center.
Talarico is competing against GOP rival Ken Paxton for the Texas Senate seat, with the race remaining tight as the November midterm elections approach.
Hannah works as a Production Assistant for the Fox News Politics team.