Talarico denies racism allegation as TX Democrat primary fight escalates for US Senate

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State Rep. James Talarico forcefully pushed back Monday night against allegations from former U.S. Rep. Colin Allred, as a simmering feud erupted into a public fight over race and the future of the Texas Democratic Party.

Allred took to X on Monday to respond to a now-viral video posted by political content creator Morgan Thompson, in which the creator alleged that Talarico remarked during a one-on-one conversation with her in mid-January.

At the center of the dispute is Allred's claim that Talarico referred to him as a "mediocre Black man" during a private January conversation with political content creator Morgan Thompson—an accusation Talarico flatly denied.

"This is a mischaracterization of a private conversation," Talarico said in a statement posted to X. He acknowledged describing Allred's campaigning style as "mediocre," but said he never disparaged the former congressman personally or on the basis of race. "I would never attack him on the basis of race," Talarico said.

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"I understand that James Talarico had the temerity and the audacity to say to a Black woman that he had signed up to run against a mediocre Black man, meaning me," Allred said in a video uploaded on X. "Not a formidable, intelligent Black woman, meaning Jasmine Crockett."

"If you want to compliment Black women, just do it. Just do it. Don't do it while also tearing down a Black man. We've seen that play before; we're sick and tired of it," Allred added.

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Talarico admitted to calling Allred's campaigning "mediocre" in a Monday night statement, but not the former congressman himself.

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Crockett, Talarico's sole challenger for the Democratic nomination for U.S. Senator John Cornyn's seat, did not address the alleged comment directly but instead spoke to the former congressman having drawn "a line in the sand."

Crockett weighed in on Allred's claims, not directly speaking on what was said, but referring to the former congressman as having drawn "a line in the sand."

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