At the james talarico town hall event, the Democratic nominee sat face to face with several undecided voters who pressed him on a slew of contentious issues, from Gaza to foreign aid to abortion, at a moment when most recent polling gives him a slim edge over Paxton.

A 'nonbinary God' remark put to the test

A devout small business owner questioned the authenticity of Talarico's faith, citing a past remark in which he described God as nonbinary. Talarico did not defend the phrasing. "When I said that, I was being provocative and I want to admit that and come clean about that," he responded.

He argued that the underlying idea - that human categories cannot define God - is not controversial theologically, and pointed out that others had made the same point. "Not only did I say that, but the late Charlie Kirk said that – the late Pope Benedict said that," Talarico said. He added that he was receptive to feedback from Christians.

Abortion exchange with a Catholic voter

Jodi Hunt, a self-described single-issue Catholic voter, pressed Talarico on his pro-choice stance. "How would you convince me as a Catholic voter that I can trust you would protect the most innocent among us?" she asked.

Talarico described the Bible as being silent on abortion; Hunt countered by quoting "Thou shalt not kill". Rather than escalate, he told her that despite their different moral conclusions, "we actually have the same public policy goal," framing abortion as a public health issue that can be addressed by reducing unplanned pregnancies.

Moderate pitch and the 'rage economy'

Through the evening, Talarico cast himself as a moderate who would put the needs of Texans over party allegiances, and pointed to the ultra-wealthy as a common enemy. He also addressed the disinformation that trailed him into the week:

• •Over the weekend he became the subject of a disinformation campaign after more than a week off the trail; his campaign said he had the flu.
• •Conservative influencers falsely accused him of receiving medical treatment at a mental health facility in Ohio.
• •Paxton and Trump fueled skepticism about his health and fitness for office, propelling the rumor.
• •Talarico denied the false allegations after returning to the campaign trail last week, noting he had never been to Ohio.

At the town hall he put the episode in a broader frame. "False claims got millions of views online and this is an example of what I call the 'rage economy'," Talarico said, arguing that billionaire platform owners get rich while nobody's life improves.

A tight race against Ken Paxton

The race remains competitive, with most recent polls showing Talarico with a narrow lead over Paxton. Paxton declined an invitation to appear on CNN, host Erin Burnett said at the start of the town hall.

Democrats have not won a Senate seat in the state since the late 1980s, and the party hopes Talarico's appeal can draw independents and Republicans unhappy with Trump's second term or Paxton's scandals. Those controversies include:

• •Leaked audio from a closed-door meeting posted online showed Paxton being critical of his own party and campaign leaders in DC.
• •He was impeached by the Texas state legislature in 2023 on allegations including bribery, and was later acquitted.
• •Angela Paxton, his wife of almost four decades, filed for divorce in 2025 on "biblical grounds", citing adultery.
• •Trump endorsed Paxton to run against Talarico, passing up incumbent Republican John Cornyn.

With the town hall behind him, Talarico heads back into a contest the most recent polls still show narrowly in his favor.