Far-left Texas State Representative and senatorial candidate James Talarico sat for a 15-minute interview on Wednesday with CBS News White House and election correspondent Ed O’Keefe and, thanks to its short duration and O’Keefe likely wanting to cover a whole slew of topics, skated by with dodgy answers on his radical views about transgenderism and his heretical claim that “God is non-binary.”
Only small portions aired on Wednesday’s CBS Evening News and Thursday’s CBS Mornings, so we decided to drill down on the whole interview, posted online Wednesday afternoon.
Four and a half minutes in, O’Keefe said Republicans are “running a handful of highlights of things you’ve said in the past, and I wanted to give you an opportunity to respond or clarify.”
O’Keefe began with the October 2021 “God is non-binary” line, wondering: “What did you mean by that?”
Here is James Talarico’s full exchange with CBS’s Ed O’Keefe about the former’s views on there being six genders, God being “non-binary,” and veganism. Because CBS only had 15 minutes with him, Talarico skated by and even drew some sympathy.
— Curtis Houck (@CurtisHouck) May 28, 2026
O’Keefe: “[I]t is an effective… pic.twitter.com/exesgrhy4P
Talarico tried to have it both ways, hoping viewers would tune out after claiming he “was being intentionally provocative,” but then doubled down by purposefully misquoting Galatians:
But what it means is that God can’t be defined by human categories. The Apostle Paul, in his letter to the Galatians, says that in Christ there is neither male nor female. I’m always gonna stand up for Texans who are being picked on by the most powerful, most corrupt politicians in the country and I’m gonna continue doing that in this race and hopefully in the U.S. Senate.
In Paul’s letter to the Galatians, he was referring to the fact that, in Christ, we are all his Chosen people as, so long as we’ve placed our hope in Him and declared our need for a Savior, there is no distinction made in His eyes between whether we’re male vs. female followers.
This was the only one O’Keefe had a follow-up on: “You call it intentionally provocative. You regret describing it that way or talking about God that way?”
Talarico filibustered by stating he “missed the mark” and turning the focus from his acts of heresy to Republican opponent Ken Paxton (click “expand”):
I — there are some statements that I’ve made that I certainly regret. There are statements that I’ve made where I’ve missed the mark. I’ll be the first to admit that. But Ken Paxton is intentionally clipping my cringy comments to distract from his career of corruption. Ken Paxton has a criminal record. I have a legislative record. I’ve served for four terms in the Texas House of Representatives where I brought Democrats and independents together to actually make progress for people.
I’ve brought Republican legislators and Democratic legislators together to cut property taxes, to raise teacher pay, to lower the cost of housing and childcare and prescription drugs. I’ve passed more than 60 bipartisan bills as a legislator. I’ve also called out the extremes in both parties on the left and the right. I have called out Ken Paxton for his blatant corruption, but I also called out President Biden for failing to secure our Southern border[.]
On Talarico’s claim of six genders, O’Keefe wondered: “Again, in 2021, while debating a bill that restricted transgender student athletes, you said ‘modern science acknowledges six biological variations based on chromosomes’ to argue that sex is a nuanced spectrum, not a strict binary. Do you still believe there are six biological sexes?”
The Texas Democrat blunted his answer while still not giving an inch to those who believe in basic biology: “I know there are two sexes, men and women. I also know there’s a very small percentage of people who have these chromosomal abnormalities, and I believe they deserve to be treated with dignity and respect.”
When one believes there are six genders like he does, that’s far more than male and female with a small subset falling victim to gender dysphoria or being born with mutations.
Along with the final critique from the right about his penchant for shying away from meat, O’Keefe lamented the GOP’s focus on transgenderism has become “an effective argument...against candidates for years” that “works for them, and you’re gonna have to spend time and money explaining it away” (click “expand”):
O’KEEFE: The other one they keep harping on, and it’s perhaps the most curious of all, they say you’re a vegan.
TALARICO: I’m not a vegan. I’m an eighth generation Texan. I’ve been eating barbecue since before, Kem Paxton’s first indictment, and this campaign basically runs on Texas barbecue. If all they have is lying about me being a vegan, I feel pretty good about our chances this November.
O’KEEFE: You know — and this is part of where I think we are in politics in this country, whether you agree or disagree with their focus on those statements on that issue of transgender rights and things like whether you’re a vegan, it is an effective argument that Republicans have made against candidates for years. It works for them, and you’re gonna have to spend time and money explaining it away.
TALARICO: I think the reason that we are leading in every public and private poll against Ken Paxton is because Texans are hungry for a different kind of politics. Texans are drowning. We can’t afford the basics. We can’t afford groceries or gas or insurance or housing or childcare or our prescription drugs, and Ken Paxton clearly has no solutions to offer us. So, while he divides us with these same tired culture war fights, I’m gonna keep bringing Texans together to take on his corruption and lower our costs.
Given the fact that Talarico hasn’t sat for many actual interview (i.e. not with CNN and MS NOW laptops), O’Keefe’s other questions were short and generic (click “expand”):
Why are Republicans so worried about this race?
(....)
But no Democrat has won a Senate seat from Texas since before you were born. What is it about you that’s different from all those other Democrats? What do you got that they didn’t?
(....)
They’re gonna be able to play drinking games during your speeches and your interviews. How many times you use the word corruption? But it does sound like a key word and a key argument you’re making here.
(....)
And it’s also why the Republicans are on the attack. This morning, the President calls you the — maybe the worst Texas candidate he’s ever seen. And Ken Paxton, your opponent, has taken to calling you Talafreakco.
(....)
And that’s why I wanted to go next, because that is the issue voters tell us just a number one of them, the economy. What is an affirmative thing a Senator Telerico would propose to do to cut costs?
(....)
One of the reasons prices have spiked is because of the war with Iran, which began literally the night before we last spoke to you back in early March. The Republican and the President’s argument essentially boils down to it was worth it in the long term. So, I ask you, because this is something senators are considering are gonna have to continue to consider, was it worth killing the Ayatollah if it means Iran doesn’t get a nuclear weapon?
(....)
One element of potentially stopping Iran from getting a nuclear weapon, is the current U.S. military aid to Israel. Growing number of Democrats in the Senate, though, continue to vote against providing more military equipment to Israel. What would a Senator Talarico do: vote for against more military equipment to Israel?
(....)
There are some Democrats who call what the Israeli government has done in Gaza genocide. You can go that far?
(....)
The other unique and acute issue in this state is immigration. It’s gonna be the topic of debate among at least Senate Republicans in the next few months. Senator Cornyn goes back to an argument over whether or not to fully fund — an increased funding for immigration and customs enforcement, customs and border protection. I imagine you oppose what Republicans are proposing to do?
(....)
[Y]ou talk about the idea that it’s a front porch down there on the southern border, that there’s a welcome mat out, but there’s a lock on the door, and a comprehensive approach.
To see the relevant transcript from the May 27 interview, click here. To see the transcripts of the recaps from May 27 and 28, click here (for the CBS Evening News) and here (for CBS Mornings).
