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Texas Senate Candidate Talarico Criticizes US on Democracy Amid Economic Claims
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In Short: Texas Senate candidate James Talarico has accused the US of 'backsliding' on democracy, citing economic data that contradicts his claims.
In a recent resurfaced clip, Texas Senate candidate James Talarico criticized the US for 'backsliding' on democracy, a claim that has been challenged by fact-checkers based on economic data from the period in question.
Gasoline prices, which rose nearly $1 from the week before Trump took office, have since declined, dipping to $2.78 per gallon in January 2026, further contradicting Talarico's claims.
Talarico's campaign has previously defended his remarks by stating that he is a devout Christian who criticizes the misuse of Christianity to justify hate, violence, and greed, while also reversing several controversial positions as the Senate race tightens.
Background
The Texas Senate is the upper house of the Texas Legislature, with the Texas House of Representatives functioning as the lower house. Together, they form a bicameral system for the state legislature of Texas.
What's still developing
- Judged by today’s metrics, Whatley’s statements are wrong.
- That’s larger than the 2.58% increase in the year and a half before Trump took office.
- Housing prices have risen 1.6% between 2024 and 2025.
- That’s up from the annualized 3.0% that Trump inherited.
- But Whatley, then chair of the Republican National Committee, made those comments in a NewsMax interview in July 2025.
- That’s before the war with Iran and before the effect of Trump’s tariffs had kicked in, among other things.
- "We haven't lived up to the promise of democracy," Talarico said.
- "James agrees with the majority of Texans that America is the greatest country in the world, Texas is the greatest state in the union, and we should always fight for a more perfect union," JT Ennis, a spokesperson for the Talarico campaign, told Fox News Digital.