What does it say about the Democrats that they have to spend an inordinate amount of time trying to "normalize" their candidates? Enter Texas Democrat James Talarico, who will require a Herculean effort to clean up as a normal member of the planet Earth, let alone a viable Senate candidate in the Lone Star State.
On Thursday, the official social media account for the Democratic National Committee (DNC) posted an image of Talarico appearing to take a big ol' bite out of a turkey leg. While wearing a Texas flag shirt.
It's a totally organic and genuine shot. At least, they sure think so.
November, here we come. pic.twitter.com/ux1w1WzGNO
— Democrats (@TheDemocrats) May 27, 2026
So, why is an image of Richie Cunningham (or, as the President likes to say, Alfred E. Newman — Tomato/to-mah-toe) awkwardly eating meat, and trying to look natural in the process, sullying your X feed?
Well, because Talarico was caught on video saying in 2022, when he was running for reelection to the Texas House of Representatives, that they had officially become a “non-meat campaign.”
You say "vegan accusations" as if your boss isn't on camera saying it's "existential" that Texans reduce their meat consumption.
— Brandon Gill (@realBrandonGill) March 18, 2026
The Talarico campaign is a total joke.pic.twitter.com/UAqRpJxVOA https://t.co/vGbx7OIBaN
READ MORE: Trump Praises Paxton, Delivers Perfect Nickname for Talarico - Once You See It, You Can't Unsee It
Republicans have effectively used that clip to brand Talarico a “vegan,” something he has to vehemently deny as a candidate in the “beef state.”
Except, just as you can’t make Kamala Harris look less drunk, or AOC look less like the reverse test case in "Flowers for Algernon," or Hillary Clinton less like a robotic killing machine, it’s nearly impossible to make Talarico look like a manly meat-eater.
It is, as Hot Air's John Sexton writes, a clear example of the resistance party "trying too hard" to normalize their candidate.
For the love of God, he makes Pete Buttigieg, of ‘three weeks paternity leave to learn to breastfeed’ fame, seem normal. Pete is a guy, after all, who murders eats cinnamon rolls as if they are chicken wings.
Why is Pete Buttigieg eating a cinnamon roll like that??? I thought it was chicken wings at first, it’s a cinnamon roll. What normal person does that? pic.twitter.com/YY8SDiKabS
— Braeden (@BraedenSorbo) August 13, 2025
Senator Ted Cruz (R) mocked Talarico's closed-eyed effort to prove he's omnivorous.
"What the hell is he eating?" Cruz wondered. "It’s not BBQ—because Talarico is passionately anti-meat. Is that a tofu log?"
Perhaps the more important question is, what the hell is a tofu log?
The problem Talarico is having is that two narratives are being pushed here. One, that he is a rough-and-tumble, tried-and-true Texan who just can't get enough barbecue. The other, that he is a soft, low-T vegan, willing to shift his diet to tofu logs because global warming is an "existential" threat.
Which is more believable? Just ask James himself.
"We have, I think, heard more and more issues of animal welfare, I think not just because it's the right thing to do and the moral thing to do, but also it's, as all of you know, necessary to fight climate change," he said in the above clip. "It is now existential that we try to reduce our meat consumption and that we try to respect animals in all aspects of society."
"I am proud to say that our campaign has officially become a non-meat campaign. So we are only buying vegan products from our local vegan businesses," he continued. "The point is, I think, all of us, not just policymakers but everyone has to take personal responsibility in this effort."
Hmmm ... Was Talarico eating meat behind the backs of his campaign? Or, did he commit to the eating disorder initially, only to relent to his love of the carnivorous culinary arts? If the former, he is a false vegan idol. The latter? Clearly, no longer concerned about the "existential" crisis Mother Earth faces.
What will his supporters think?
Whatever the situation, the memo has gone out. Whether in picture form or in media appearances, the Democrats want you to know that James Dell Talarico loves meat!
Former DNC spokesperson Xochitl Hinojosa insists that James Talarico "loves meat."
— Lone Star Liberty PAC (@LoneStar_PAC) May 27, 2026
Yeah, we've heard! pic.twitter.com/4Pd5ityGQI
Still, Talarico may have some 'splaining to do.
Bernie Sanders—the same guy who famously floated a meat tax to fight climate change—will deliver the keynote address at the 2026 Texas Democratic Party State Convention in Corpus Christi next month.
How will this square with Talarico's newfound love of meat?
The fact that this is even a campaign issue, likely to cost him some points in Texas (as evidenced by the Democrats' staunch defense), is weird. Weird, but fitting, when you consider this is a guy who insists there are six genders, believes God is "non-binary", and who interprets the Bible as permitting abortion.
All "cringey" things he's now desperately trying to walk back. Is there nothing he'll commit to? Veganism, multiple genders? Anything? Or is he like other Democrats before him, trying to pull the wool over the eyes of voters?
You can’t fake the steak in Texas, James. The people can smell what you’re really cooking.
Editor’s Note: The 2026 Midterms will determine the fate of President Trump’s America First agenda. Republicans must maintain control of both chambers of Congress.
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