Texas GOP Chairman Abraham George, left, speaks during a panel on Latino voters at SXSW’s Axios House in Austin on Saturday. Credit: Sarah Gonzalez

AUSTIN — Texas Republican Party Chairman Abraham George said his party isn’t worried about the popularity of state Rep. James Talarico as the Austin Democrat prepares to face off against one of two GOP contenders in this fall’s U.S. Senate race.

“I think we were a lot more worried when Beto O’Rourke ran,” George said during a Saturday political discussion hosted by media outlet Axios at Austin’s SXSW festival. “I don’t think James Talarico has the charisma that Beto could bring to the Democratic party.”

Some in the crowd responded with titters and looks of disbelief at George’s remark.

Indeed, the chairman’s attempt to write off Talarico doesn’t seem to line up with his own party’s eagerness to lob online attacks at the charismatic contender.

Ever since Talarico secured the Democratic nomination over U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett, right-wingers have been sifting through social media posts and video of the Presbyterian seminarian and former school teacher to dig up dirt.

One such clip is an old speech on the Texas House floor in which Talarico declared, “God is nonbinary.” Critics have also shared an old tweet in which Talarico said, “Radicalized white men are the greatest domestic terrorist threat in our country.”

During a near-capacity crowd for a live recording of an episode of Vox Media’s Raging Moderates podcast, Talarico said Republicans are largely taking old clips taken out of context.

“Looking back at some of these old statements from years ago, I would maybe word them differently or communicate them differently,” Talarico said. “But, the values that I hold are still the same.”

U.S. Rep. Greg Casar, an Austin Democrat who also spoke one of Axios’ gatherings, said Republicans should be concerned about Talarico, especially given his ability to connect with Latino voters and get them to the polls.

“James Talarico went out there and campaigned on economic issues in those Latino communities,” Casar said. “I think he has the incredible potential to flip the state of Texas.”

U.S. Rep. Greg Casar, D-Austin, speaks during a panel at SXSW in Austin on Saturday. Credit: Sarah Gonzales

Even so, Casar acknowledged that Democrats dropped the ball when it came to Latino voters during the previous presidential election. In 2024, Trump flipped several Rio Grande Valley districts long held by Democrats.

That’s since changed, however. During this spring’s Democratic primary, Talarico pulled big numbers in every border district, Casar noted.

“We can unite working-class voters and all these Latino working-class voters that we lost last election if people know we’re going to bring down prices and put money in their pockets,” the congressman said.

Talarico will face either Attorney General Ken Paxton or U.S. Sen. John Cornyn in the general, depending on who emerges from a heated GOP primary that will be decided May 26.

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Michael Karlis is a multimedia journalist at the San Antonio Current, whose coverage in print and on social media focuses on local and state politics. He is a graduate of American University in Washington,...