After clinching the Republican Senate nomination, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton targeted his Democratic opponent, saying James Talarico is too extreme for Texas.
Paxton said Talarico is a vegan and a threat to the state famous for cattle, Tex-Mex and barbecue. Paxton called his opponent “the most extreme radical the Democrats have ever nominated,” and accused him of being a vegan.
“He’s a vegan who thinks God is nonbinary and that there’s actually six biological sexes,” Paxton said May 26, also calling him “Tofu Talarico.”
President Donald Trump made a similar statement May 20, saying, “He’s a vegan. He’s a vegan in Texas, and you can’t get elected as a vegan in Texas.”
The attack is part of a broad Republican effort to portray Talarico as holding far-left social views and being out of step with Texas voters.
But the public evidence doesn’t back up the vegan claim. Talarico has denied being a vegan multiple times and has been recently pictured eating meat and other animal products during campaign events.
Talarico’s critics point to a 2022 speech during a fundraiser for the Texas Humane Legislation Network, a group that lobbies for humane animal treatment. At the time, Talarico was running for reelection to the Texas House of Representatives.
During the speech, Talarico said reducing meat consumption is the “moral thing to do” and “necessary to fight climate change.”
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