James Talarico Wants to End Religious Exemptions for Vaccine Mandates

Democrat Senate candidate James Talarico’s voting record on a controversial issue is resurfacing in light of Anthony Fauci’s disastrous congressional testimony: a ban on religious exemptions for vaccine mandates.

According to a Vote Smart survey filled out by Talarico during the height of the COVID panic, the now-U.S. Senate candidate claimed that he would support an end to religious exemptions for vaccinations.

Even more interestingly, when asked about abortion, Talarico claimed that he “trust[ed] Texans to make their own healthcare decisions” and abortions are decisions that “should be left up to [women] in consultation with their doctor.”

An interview with Progress Texas in October 2021 showed that Talarico continued this line of thinking well past the initial stages of COVID, telling the Texas Blue Action Podcast that he believed that a ban on vaccine mandates meant that “the Republican Party of Texas is out of control.”

“I don’t think there’s a way to work with” Republicans, James talarico says, citing Republicans banning vaccine mandates and critical race theory, passing voter ID, and stopping biological boys from playing in girls’ sports. #TXsen pic.twitter.com/0XFv0YEFfC

— Lone Star Liberty PAC (@LoneStar_PAC) July 21, 2026

“We have seen the Republican Party move so far to the right,” Talarico told the podcast. “Bullying trans kids, banning abortion, undermining democracy, whitewashing our curriculum, banning mask mandates, banning vaccine mandates.”

“I mean, the Republican Party of Texas is out of control,” Talarico continued. “I’ve regrettably come to the conclusion that I don’t think that there is a way to work with them.”

Talarico has flip-flopped on the issue of working with Republicans now that he has reached the spotlight and is desperate to run from his hyper-progressive past. At a recent rally, he told reporters that he wants “all sides to work together” by turning Texas into a purple state.

In Killeen, James Talarico tells a reporter he isn’t trying to turn the state blue. Purple is better. Forces all sides to work together.

He’s said this before but his comments come as Republicans here are messaging warnings to Rs that Dems are trying to flip whole state. pic.twitter.com/qbn2SU2YcR

— Natasha Korecki (@natashakorecki) August 14, 2026

Talarico will face off against Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton over one of the most hotly contested Senate seats this cycle during November’s midterm elections.

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