Texas state Rep. James Talarico’s (D) entry into the Democratic Senate primary in Texas has shaken up the race and thrilled those who think new blood will give Democrats a boost heading into next year.

Talarico, one of the legislators who fled the Lone Star State to stall Republicans’ redistricting push, enters the primary against former Rep. Colin Allred (D), who tried for Sen. Ted Cruz’s (R) seat in last year’s midterms.

Both Democrats are vying to oust Sen. John Cornyn (R), the longtime incumbent who faces a difficult challenge from his right in state Attorney General Ken Paxton (R), as the party becomes increasingly bullish about making inroads in Texas.

“It really is whether or not James can take what is clearly a sense of some excitement around his candidacy and expand that,” said Matt Angle, founder and director of the Lone Star Project, a Democratic PAC.

“Colin now has more of a footprint and has proven that he can build a diverse coalition, both in the primary and in the general election. And there's a challenge to James as to whether or not he can do that. If he does, then you'll have a barn burner of a race.”

Talarico, a 36-year-old Presbyterian seminarian and former teacher, launched his campaign on Tuesday with a message of unity, pitching his campaign as “the underdogs in this fight.”

“Those billionaires want to keep us from seeing all that we have in common. … Because once we do, we’ll come together — across party, across race, across gender, across religion — to fix what’s broken in our country and take back power for ourselves and our communities,” he said in an announcement that leaned heavily into his faith alongside his progressive politics.

The state legislator was among the Texas Democrats who broke quorum........

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