Texas' new Democrat Senate nominee once declared that white skin gives every white American "immunity from the virus" of racism — and that white Americans "spread it wherever we go." When asked to explain himself, he said it was taken out of context. That was the entirety of the statement.

James Talarico won the Texas Democrat Senate primary over Jasmine Crockett, which Larry argues was a major unforced error for the left — Crockett was a far stronger general election candidate. Now Talarico faces either John Cornyn or Ken Paxton in the fall, and new polling shows neither Republican is running away from him. Cornyn's approval rating has cratered 13 points underwater statewide and dropped 29 points among Republicans since his 2020 reelection — not exactly the picture of "electability" the establishment has been selling.

At a South by Southwest appearance with Fox News' Jessica Tarlov, Talarico was given a friendly platform to walk back his "white skin as a virus" tweet. His defense: it was out of context. But when Larry reads the full quote, it is the context. Then Talarico pivots to his classic escape hatch — "all I was saying is racism is bad" — and Larry dissects exactly how this rhetorical trick works: take a wildly divisive, racially charged statement, then reduce it to an anodyne truism that no one disagrees with, and accuse anyone who objects of being triggered by anti-racism.

Then there's the beef. In 2022, Talarico proudly declared his Texas campaign a "no-meat vegan campaign," citing climate change and animal welfare — essentially telling Texans that their brisket and T-bones are immoral. Houston radio host Jesse Kelly later tweeted that Talarico is, in fact, a regular meat-eater. The Talarico campaign's response? They posted a photo of him eating a giant hunk of meat. In Texas. While running for Senate.

President Donald Trump, appearing on Fox News with Brian Kilmeade, called Talarico's statements "an insult to Jesus" and said he's "beyond woke — grossly incompetent." Talarico shot back from an actual pulpit, invoking the Sermon on the Mount and the Lord's Prayer to justify government healthcare and immigration policy. He closed with a flourish: "There's only been one perfect Christian. And he was crucified on a cross 2000 years ago." Larry's response was calm and precise: Jesus was not a Christian. He was the Christ. There's a difference — and it matters.

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