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23h ago

GOP Amplifies 2022 ‘Non‑Meat’ Video of James Talarico as Texas Senate Race Heats Up

Republicans push the viral clip to cast the Democrat as out of step with Texas culture centered on barbecue and cattle.

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Left: WASHINGTON, DC - JANUARY 28: Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) speaks to first responders and the families who lost their loved ones in the crash of American Eagle Flight 5342 during a memorial event at the DAR Constitution Hall to remember the 67 lives lost on January 28, 2026 in Washington, DC. The one-year anniversary of the mid-air collision between a U.S. Black Hawk helicopter and American Eagle Flight 5342 is January 29. (Photo by Luke Johnson/Getty Images) Right: Image from Talarico campaign on X

Overview

  • The resurfaced 2022 fundraiser clip shows Talarico declaring his campaign a “non-meat” operation and calling reduced meat consumption necessary to fight climate change at a Texas Humane Legislation Network event.
  • Sen. Ted Cruz labeled him a “freak” who wants to “BAN BBQ,” and Sen. John Cornyn quipped “The steaks couldn’t be higher,” as the NRSC and conservative media widely circulated the video.
  • Talarico’s team answered with a tongue-in-cheek photo of him eating barbecue posted by spokesman JT Ennis, and reporting documents multiple instances of him eating meat, including a State Fair turkey leg and bacon-and-egg tacos.
  • Coverage places the remarks in context with research from Johns Hopkins and the United Nations linking heavy meat consumption to health risks and livestock production to greenhouse gas emissions.
  • Political analysts say Republicans are using the clip to brand Talarico as out of touch and warn the label could stick if his response remains mostly humorous, as he awaits a November matchup with either Cornyn or Ken Paxton after the GOP runoff.