James Talarico

Democrat

Texas State Representative, District 50

Non-Incumbent · Public Record

PIP Political Integrity Pledge · Political Integrity PAC

No Corporate PAC Money
Stock Trading Ban
Lobbying Ban for Former Members
Overturn Citizens United

Primary: November 3, 2026 Last updated 2026-04-27

90.1%

+1 from Political Integrity Pledge

Top positive drivers

T1 Extensive town halls statewide (Temple, Plano with 2000 attendees, New Braunfels, Laredo, El Paso); open to all parties; 1.4M TikTok followers; campaign commitment to annual town halls as Senator. 4/4
T4 Never accepted corporate PAC money in entire career (only TX legislator); signed PIP No Corporate PAC pledge; supports banning super PACs; $27M raised Q1 2026. 4/4
T7 Joe Rogan (2h41m, non-aligned); Colbert; PBS; NPR; CNN; NBC; Time; 5+ major TX newspaper editorial boards; well above threshold. 4/4

View all 25 criteria

T1 Extensive town halls statewide (Temple, Plano with 2000 attendees, New Braunfels, Laredo, El Paso); open to all parties; 1.4M TikTok followers; campaign commitment to annual town halls as Senator. 4/4
T2 Supports banning congressional stock trading; anti-corruption package centerpiece; no evidence of proactive personal financial disclosure beyond legal requirements. 2.88/4
T3 Signed PIP stock trading ban; campaign platform bans congressional stock trading; net worth consistent with educator-legislator; never accepted corporate PAC money. 3.75/4
T4 Never accepted corporate PAC money in entire career (only TX legislator); signed PIP No Corporate PAC pledge; supports banning super PACs; $27M raised Q1 2026. 4/4
T5 FEC filings public; campaign claims 97% contributions $100 or less; CampaignFinanceDigest shows 86% from $2000+ itemized; some discrepancy reduces specificity. 3.13/4
T6 Extensive issue pages (12+ policy areas with detailed reasoning); Joe Rogan 2h41m policy interview; Stephen Colbert (7.5M views); 1.4M TikTok followers with policy explainers. 3.75/4
T7 Joe Rogan (2h41m, non-aligned); Colbert; PBS; NPR; CNN; NBC; Time; 5+ major TX newspaper editorial boards; well above threshold. 4/4
T8 Texas AFL-CIO endorsement; Texas AFT; VoteSmart Political Courage Test completed; multiple editorial board questionnaires; endorsements from labor, education, progressive orgs. 3.75/4
T9 12+ issue pages with substantive policy content; 1.4M TikTok followers with regular policy videos; active social media; campaign email/text updates; town halls across state. 3.75/4
T10 Former 6th grade teacher; uses concrete daily-life examples (insulin costs, rent, groceries); plain-language website; accessible TikTok explainers. 3.75/4
T11 Passed insulin cap at $25/mo in TX; PBM regulation proposal; drug price transparency via Canadian importation bill; ban surprise billing. 3.75/4
T12 Stop corporate landlords from market manipulation; ban Wall Street housing purchases; filed HB 3792 (surplus state land to affordable housing). 3.13/4
T13 Require AI data centers to fund own infrastructure; crack down on energy price gouging; repeal Trump tariffs; limited coverage of banking/telecom sectors. 2.88/4
T14 Criticizes military spending waste; supports defense audit accountability; transparency and accountability across all branches (anti-corruption platform). 3.13/4
T15 Comprehensive AI policy page: algorithm impact assessments; prohibit targeted algorithms for minors; deepfake reporting (enacted in TX); AI Advisory Council created. 3.75/4
T16 Passed Javier Ambler's Law banning reality TV policing; ban ICE agents from wearing masks; Sexual Assault Survivors' Task Force; juvenile justice transparency. 3.75/4
T17 Hire more immigration judges; modernize ports of entry with X-ray inspection technology (authored legislation); employer sponsorship; strengthen guest worker visa standards. 3.75/4
T18 Former teacher; 16 education bills passed; Pre-K class size cap (22 students); evidence-based reading strategies; AI guidelines for classrooms. 3.13/4
T19 Ban partisan gerrymandering; independent redistricting commissions; John Lewis VRA; authored TX redistricting commission legislation; broke quorum twice. 4/4
T20 Anti-corruption package: ban super PACs/corporate PACs, stock trading ban, term limits, Supreme Court reform (term limits, conduct codes, recusal rules). 3.75/4
T21 Active press availability; Joe Rogan 2h41m; Colbert; PBS; NPR; CNN; NBC; Time; Texas Tribune; 4 major TX newspaper editorial boards. 3.75/4
T22 No PolitiFact/FactCheck.org rated false claims; one donor-claim discrepancy (97% vs 86% counting methods); claims cross-check accurately against official data. 3.13/4
T23 Supports increased government accountability; anti-corruption platform; IG independence implied in broader framework; no specific whistleblower protection legislation named. 2.88/4
T24 Supports transparency across all branches; authored TX legislation requiring counties to post election notices on websites; no FOIA reform proposals. 2.88/4
T25 Never took corporate PAC money across entire career (matches platform); PIP signed and honored; insulin cap matches rhetoric; broke quorum matches democracy reform rhetoric; 16 enacted laws. 4/4

90.5%

+0.5 from Political Integrity Pledge

Top positive drivers

E6 $27M Q1 2026 fundraising record; won primary 52.4%; 16 bills signed as minority party in TX; massive volunteer operation; 4 major TX newspaper endorsements. 4/4
E7 Passed 16 bills in Republican-controlled TX legislature; insulin cap required desk-to-desk bipartisan lobbying; school finance reform ($6.5B, bipartisan). 4/4
E9 16 bills signed into law; insulin cap enacted; school finance reform ($6.5B); Pre-K cap; won 2018 flipping Trump district; $27M Q1 record; TX Monthly Top 10. 4/4

View all 25 criteria

E1 Pre-K class size cap (22 students, measurable); insulin cap ($25/mo, measurable); term limits (measurable); annual grid infrastructure audits. 3.50/4
E2 Harvard M.Ed.; cites specific data (90% fentanyl at ports of entry, insulin production costs $10/vial); evidence-based reading strategies; proposes pilots. 3.75/4
E3 Supports government accountability and evaluation; anti-corruption reform package; no specific GAO/regulatory review mechanisms named. 2.88/4
E4 Documented casework across 4 terms; campaign town halls statewide; community engagement events; commitment to open Senate office in El Paso. 3.75/4
E5 Comprehensive tech/AI policy page; broadband expansion; STEM education; IT credential/apprenticeship programs; TX Cyber Command and AI Advisory Council; cryptocurrency framework. 3.75/4
E6 $27M Q1 2026 fundraising record; won primary 52.4%; 16 bills signed as minority party in TX; massive volunteer operation; 4 major TX newspaper endorsements. 4/4
E7 Passed 16 bills in Republican-controlled TX legislature; insulin cap required desk-to-desk bipartisan lobbying; school finance reform ($6.5B, bipartisan). 4/4
E8 Proposals identify implementation pathways; Medicare for Y'all framed as bridge to M4A; energy policy addresses grid + cost; addresses TX oil economy obstacles. 3.75/4
E9 16 bills signed into law; insulin cap enacted; school finance reform ($6.5B); Pre-K cap; won 2018 flipping Trump district; $27M Q1 record; TX Monthly Top 10. 4/4
E10 Abolish filibuster (or restore speaking filibuster); term limits for Congress; ban gerrymandering; Supreme Court reform; streamline permitting. 3.75/4
E11 Medicare for Y'all (public option); drug price negotiation; PBM reform; Canadian drug importation; admin simplification; insulin cap enacted. 3.75/4
E12 Ban Wall Street housing purchases; expand LIHTC (established TX program); federal modular homes task force; single-stair building regulation (SB 2835); ADU support. 3.75/4
E13 Federal tax credits for diversified energy; accelerate renewables; grid weatherproofing; annual grid audits (enacted); geothermal and hydrogen investment. 3.75/4
E14 Hire more immigration judges to clear backlog; root out fraud; employer sponsorship for labor-shortage sectors; modernize ports of entry; temporary work permits. 3.75/4
E15 Former teacher with Harvard M.Ed.; 8 education laws enacted; Pre-K class size cap; evidence-based reading; $6.5B school finance reform; $15K teacher pay raise proposal. 4/4
E16 Evidence-based approach: fund schools/youth programs/mental health as crime prevention; Javier Ambler's Law enacted; juvenile justice reforms; Sexual Assault Task Force. 3.75/4
E17 Energy job training and Registered Apprenticeship programs; IT credential/apprenticeship program (created in TX); STEM education; CTE improvements. 3.75/4
E18 Criticizes military spending waste; corporate tax fairness framing; identifies corporate tax avoidance; no specific GAO/IG-referenced proposals. 2.88/4
E19 Streamline permitting; grid weatherproofing; pipeline fortification; broadband expansion; no specific delivery targets or NEPA reform. 2.88/4
E20 Compares costs of bombing vs domestic spending; opposes unnecessary wars; diplomacy-first; deepen NATO/EU cooperation; burden-sharing on Ukraine. 3.75/4
E21 Immigration judge hiring to reduce backlogs; port of entry modernization; streamline permitting; no government-wide processing targets. 2.88/4
E22 Raise corporate tax rate; end carried interest loophole; eliminate $0 corporate tax breaks; raise stock buyback tax; end buy-borrow-die loophole. 3.75/4
E23 General accountability stance; anti-corruption platform; Supreme Court conduct codes; no specific GAO/IG report citations or recommendation-based legislation. 2.88/4
E24 Filibuster reform; Supreme Court reform; ICE reform; marijuana legalization (end failed war on drugs); evolved energy policy from Green New Deal to pragmatic approach. 3.75/4
E25 Anti-corruption platform includes oversight; Supreme Court accountability (term limits, conduct codes); ICE oversight; no comprehensive IG independence framework. 2.88/4

94.5%

+0.5 from Political Integrity Pledge

Top positive drivers

A1 References specific costs (insulin $684/mo vs $10 production, TX housing crisis, grocery prices); town halls focused on affordability across state; economic listening sessions statewide. 4/4
A3 Prescription drug savings for uninsured Texans (enacted); insulin cap $25/mo (enacted); Canadian drug importation; childcare property tax exemptions (enacted); LIHEAP modernization. 4/4
A10 Affordability central to platform: insulin cap, housing, childcare, energy, groceries, wages; 8 of 16 enacted bills focused on affordability-adjacent areas. 4/4

View all 25 criteria

A1 References specific costs (insulin $684/mo vs $10 production, TX housing crisis, grocery prices); town halls focused on affordability across state; economic listening sessions statewide. 4/4
A2 Cites corporate tax rate halved since 1980s; insulin production cost $10/vial; 90% fentanyl at ports of entry; $6.5B school finance data; CBO/BLS-adjacent data. 3.75/4
A3 Prescription drug savings for uninsured Texans (enacted); insulin cap $25/mo (enacted); Canadian drug importation; childcare property tax exemptions (enacted); LIHEAP modernization. 4/4
A4 Ban Wall Street housing purchases; increase merger/acquisition oversight for grocery prices; PBM reform; no comprehensive antitrust legislation named. 3.13/4
A5 Household framing: insulin costs, housing costs, grocery costs, energy costs, childcare as second rent; tariff impact on families; CTC/EITC expansion impact. 3.75/4
A6 Responded to insulin crisis with legislation; responded to TX grid failure with audit legislation; gas tax suspension for Iran war costs; repeal Trump tariffs. 3.75/4
A7 Raise corporate tax rate and close loopholes to fund working family tax cuts; redirect defense spending to domestic priorities; end carried interest for CTC/EITC expansion. 3.75/4
A8 Identifies pharmaceutical companies (insulin gouging); corporate landlords manipulating rents; Wall Street buying housing; grocery consolidation; AI data center cost-shifting. 3.75/4
A9 Consistently frames economics around working families; household-level framing; mother's poverty background frames candidacy; translates policy to kitchen-table terms. 3.75/4
A10 Affordability central to platform: insulin cap, housing, childcare, energy, groceries, wages; 8 of 16 enacted bills focused on affordability-adjacent areas. 4/4
A11 Medicare for Y'all; drug negotiation; insulin cap $25/mo (enacted); Canadian drug importation filed; ACA expansion; rural hospital reform; medical debt protection; codify Roe. 4/4
A12 Ban Wall Street housing purchases; expand LIHTC (established TX program); federal modular homes task force; surplus state land to housing (HB 3792); ADU support. 3.75/4
A13 Universal Pre-K (established first Pre-K class cap in TX); $6.5B school finance reform; childcare affordability (tax exemptions enacted); tuition exemptions; reject voucher scams. 4/4
A14 Expand CTC and EITC; raise corporate tax rate; end carried interest; end buy-borrow-die; eliminate SS tax cap over $400K; executive pay ratio tax. 3.75/4
A15 Crack down on energy price gouging; ban corporate landlord rent manipulation; PBM regulation; cryptocurrency fraud protections; surprise billing ban (enacted). 3.13/4
A16 Raise federal minimum wage to $15/hr; incentivize employer-sponsored pensions; expand CTC and EITC; AFL-CIO endorsement; apprenticeship programs. 3.75/4
A17 Defend SNAP and WIC; increase merger/acquisition oversight for grocery prices; remove tariffs on non-domestically grown produce; reduce barriers for new grocery providers. 3.50/4
A18 Require AI data centers to fund own infrastructure; diversify energy to drive down costs; modernize LIHEAP for hot-climate states; grid audits enacted. 3.75/4
A19 Federal gas tax suspension proposal; repeal Trump tariffs on cars; pipeline fortification; no transit investment/EV incentive/fare reform proposals. 2.88/4
A20 Comprehensive strategy connecting healthcare, housing, childcare, food, energy, wages, trade; root-cause framing (corporate power + tax unfairness); 16 enacted bills spanning multiple areas. 4/4
A21 Insulin cap matches rhetoric; school finance reform matches platform; childcare legislation matches; housing bills match; 0 contradictions; 16 enacted laws matching positions. 4/4
A22 Defends ACA, Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security, SNAP, WIC, Head Start, Pell Grants; fought to protect Medicaid access in TX legislature; opposes VA privatization. 3.75/4
A23 Universal programs (Medicare for Y'all, universal Pre-K); targeted programs (LIHEAP, SNAP, WIC); addresses low-income, elderly, single parents, immigrants, communities of color. 3.75/4
A24 Proposals benefit workers, families, seniors, students, small business, veterans; covers healthcare, housing, education, energy, food, transportation, wages; no arbitrary exclusions. 3.75/4
A25 Texas AFL-CIO endorsement; Texas AFT; 4 major TX newspaper endorsements; state representative endorsements; labor, education, and media alignment. 3.75/4

Scored from publicly available information. Research in progress.

Platform research is in progress.

Non-Incumbent · Public Record

Scored on publicly available information only — platform statements, prior office, news coverage. Same criteria as the Questionnaire pathway, without direct candidate input.

Scoring Summary

Axis	Base	Pledge Bonus	Final
Transparency	90.1%	+1	91.1%
Efficiency	90.5%	+0.5	91%
Affordability	94.5%	+0.5	95%
Overall TEA	Average of the three axes		91.7%

Read the full methodology →

Financial Breakdown

Financial detail — individual giving, PAC contributions, transfers, and personal finances — will appear here when FEC data ingestion ships. This tab is reserved so the layout stays consistent when the feature launches.