Opinion

MARK HALPERIN: Is Democrat James Talarico the real deal — or Beto 2.0 headed for a Texas flop?

Democrat Talarico's upset primary win over Crockett has party faithful believing they can finally break 30-year statewide losing streak. Hope can animate. It can also delude

By Mark Halperin Fox News

Published March 4, 2026 4:12pm EST

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Rising Democratic star James Talarico tops progressive firebrand Jasmine Crockett in Senate primary in Texas

State Rep. James Talarico of Texas, in a not-quite victory speech, says ‘our campaign is shocking the nation.’ Hours later, the AP reported Talarico topped Rep. Jasmine Crockett to secure the nomination

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Hope can indeed be a dangerous thing.

State Rep. James Talarico said just that on Tuesday night — "A little bit of hope is a dangerous thing" — and he meant it as a call to action, a summons to the faithful. But the line lingers in the Texas air for a different reason. Democrats are about to invest a great deal of time, money and, yes, hope in the notion that a young state legislator from Round Rock is the man who will break a nearly four-decade winless drought for his party in the Lone Star State.

Hope can animate. It can also delude.

For Democrats, the drought is real. No Democrat has won a statewide race in Texas since 1994. Ann Richards is a memory. The Bush era came and went. The Tea Party rose. Donald Trump remade the GOP. Beto O’Rourke flashed and faded. And still the red wall has held, impregnable.

Now comes Talarico — youthful, fluent, quick on his feet, comfortable quoting Scripture and cable news soundbites in the same breath. The media love him. He wowed Joe Rogan in a long-form podcast appearance that had Democrats texting one another links with exclamation points. He has raised serious money. He has shown a knack for turning controversy into currency, deftly parlaying a late-night fracas involving Stephen Colbert into fundraising fuel and free exposure.

Rep. Jasmine Crockett, a Democrat from Texas and U.S. Senate........

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