Texas Democrat James Talarico, now seeking a US Senate seat, is facing renewed scrutiny over his enthusiastic praise for a radical TransQueer, Latinx activist theologian and his own history of racially charged and theologically provocative remarks.
According to The Post Millennial, Talarico has repeatedly cited ordained Baptist Dr. Roberto Che Espinoza as a central influence on his political worldview, openly celebrating Espinozas far-left theological and cultural agenda. In one revealing moment of self-description, Talarico told Espinoza, "I told you I was a boring, straight, cis white man, and I added Presbyterian to spice it up. My imagination is also just limited by my own background and identity." Those comments, delivered with apparent self-deprecation, underscored his embrace of identity politics and progressive ideology as guiding principles.
Talaricos rhetoric on race has been even more extreme, drawing criticism from conservatives who see it as emblematic of the modern Lefts obsession with collective guilt. In 2020, he declared, "White skin gives me and every white American immunity from the virus. But we spread it wherever we gothrough our words, our actions, and our systems. We dont have to be showing symptomslike a white hood or a Confederate flagto be contagious." He went on to insist, "The only cure is diagnosing the virus within ourselves and taking dramatic actions to contain the spread," adding, "The first small step is proclaiming loudly and unequivocally that #BlackLivesMatter."
After backlash, Talarico claimed his anti-white remarks were taken out of context, but he has never meaningfully walked them back. Instead, he has continued to align himself with figures like Espinoza, whose activism pushes the boundaries even of mainstream progressive Christianity. When you started following me on Twitter, I couldnt contain my inner fan boy," Talarico gushed to Espinoza on the theologians podcast in 2021, "because I read your book last year and it continues to inspire me and yalls work continues to inspire me." For many Texas voters, that level of admiration for a radical activist theologian raises serious questions about his judgment and priorities.
Espinoza, a biological woman who identifies as a man and as a non-binary transqueer Latinx, has become a rising star among progressive Christian academics and activists. She uses she/he pronouns and is scheduled to speak at the Wild Goose Festival in North Carolina, a flagship Religious Left gathering featuring figures such as Diana Butler Bass, David Gushee, and Brian McLaren. Espinoza founded The Activist Theology Project and describes herself as a liberationist theologian centered on queer theory, ethics, and social justice. Her work includes a 2022 TEDx talk attacking Ren Descartes mind-body dualism, reflecting a broader effort to deconstruct Western philosophical and Christian traditions.
Raised in Texas in a bicultural home, Espinoza attended Hardin-Simmons University before earning a masters degree from Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary and a Ph.D. from the University of Denver in constructive theology, queer theory, and Latinx studies. She has taught at Vanderbilt, Chicago Theological Seminary, and other left-leaning institutions, and authored Activist Theology (2019) and A Path to Our Liberation (2022). She has argued that Christianity should prioritize relationships over doctrine and has even dismissed mainstream progressive Christianity as not radical enough, according to Juicy Ecumenism.
For conservatives, Talaricos embrace of Espinoza fits a broader pattern of theological and cultural radicalism that is far out of step with Texas values and President Trumps agenda of restoring traditional American principles. His 2021 claim that God is non-binary has already provided ample ammunition for his Republican opponent, Ken Paxton, who is likely to frame the race as a stark choice between faith rooted in Scripture and a fluid, politicized spirituality. Talarico has yet to secure the endorsement of outgoing House Rep. Jasmine Crockett, whom he previously challenged in a Democrat Senate primary, leaving open the question of whether even his own party fully accepts his brand of identity-driven, activist theologyinspired politics.
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