Vance mocks Talarico with gay jibe as Texas Senate race passes $500 million in ads

Vance's jibe at a Tyler rally

At a rally in Tyler, Texas, Vice President JD Vance answered a supporter with a joke about James Talarico, the Democratic Senate nominee. He said he loved the man "in a totally platonic way" and that he was "the vice president, not James Talarico." Talarico is not gay and has been in a relationship for four years with a former chief of staff. Vance's prepared remarks went further, citing a 2023 interview in which Talarico named trans children among the things he loves. The joke was criticized as homophobic, and Vance had earlier suggested at the Republicans' midterm convention in Dallas in September that Talarico's support for transgender children was inappropriate.

A week of unfounded health rumors

Talarico was out of public view for more than a week, and his campaign was slow to explain why. He had said on 30 September, by video, that he was diagnosed with the flu at a Dallas urgent care facility. On 7 October Trump claimed at a San Antonio rally, without evidence, that Talarico was vegan and sick from being forced to eat meat. The next day Steve Bannon interviewed former Trump fundraiser Caroline Wren on his War Room podcast, and she baselessly claimed Talarico had checked into a mental institution. The same day Ken Paxton posted that Talarico was having a "full-blown mental Tala-freak-out" and asked for "proof of life". On 9 October Spencer Pratt, a former Los Angeles mayoral candidate, claimed Talarico was in a mental health facility. Right-leaning sites amplified the claims, and Elon Musk, Stephen Miller and Laura Loomer posted similar ones.

The town hall in Fort Worth

On the evening of 14 October Talarico took questions at a CNN town hall in Fort Worth from voters across party lines. Topics included Israel's military campaign in Gaza, abortion and foreign aid, and one voter questioned his faith after he once described God as nonbinary. Talarico called that remark provocative and said the late Charlie Kirk and the late Pope Benedict had made a similar point. He backed oil and gas alongside renewables, said he does not support abolishing ICE while criticizing its enforcement tactics, and pointed to the fatal shooting of a Houston resident. Paxton was invited but did not take part. Talarico framed his appeal in terms of faith and party loyalty:

I'm a proud Texas Democrat, but I already have a religion and I already have a sports team.

Money and polling

Talarico raised $64 million in the third quarter of 2026, the largest third-quarter haul of any Senate candidate in history, and more than $134.3 million since launching in September 2025. The campaign said more than 1.3 million donors contributed, and about 97% of donations were $100 or less. About $235 million has been spent against him, and AdImpact data cited by CNN put television ad spending in the race above $500 million. A GOP-aligned PAC spent $131 million in 17 days in September. Talarico still holds a narrow lead in recent polls, within the margin of error, and Democrats have not won a statewide race in Texas for 32 years.

Debates and the road ahead

Paxton has not accepted any of at least four debate invitations, despite saying in July that he would debate. Talarico's campaign hosted watch parties in major Texas cities under the banner "This Could've Been a Debate". Near the end of the town hall, Talarico told voters what he wanted from them:

I don't want people to vote just against Ken Paxton. I want them to vote for me. I want them to know my values and my vision.

Paxton's campaign did not respond to a request for comment but announced an 18-day "Come and Take It" bus tour across Texas. Democrats need a net gain of four Senate seats to control the chamber, which makes Texas an unlikely battleground.