While guest hosting All In on Thursday, MS NOW’s Ali Velshi welcomed Democratic Texas Senate candidate James Talarico to another one of his strategy planning sessions disguised as an interview. At one point, Velshi seemed befuddled by the idea that “Most people are not losing sleep over transgender kids in sports, but they [Republicans] seem to just be stuck on this one with you.”
Velshi began by suggesting that Republicans are talking about gender stuff because they cannot talk about the economy or foreign policy, “I've been having conversations with people like you: Democrats who have a good chance of winning in states that have traditionally been Republican or in recent years at least have voted for Donald Trump. And I've had this conversation with Roy Cooper, and last night I had it with David Jolly. And there is some indication that when things are going badly for Republicans, particularly as they are now, because of the cost of living and this war that we were told we weren't going to get involved in wars like this. Democrats have a few go-tos and they're enjoying one of them with you. They talk a lot about transgender stuff, and they lean into that.”
In one of his campaign rallies disguised as an interview, Ali Velshi tells James "Six Sexes" Talarico "They talk a lot about transgender stuff and they lean into that. I don't know what effect that has because I think for regular people, as I just spoke to Sherrod Brown about,… pic.twitter.com/JKX1iQuzvM
— Alex Christy (@alexchristy17) August 21, 2026
It is likely Velshi meant to say, “Republicans have a few go-tos,” because he continued, “I don't know what effect that has because I think for regular people, as I just spoke to Sherrod Brown about, they're worried about the cost of their lives, the cost of their diesel, the cost of their fertilizer if they’re farmers, the cost of their gas. Most people are not losing sleep over transgender kids in sports, but they seem to just be stuck on this one with you.”
Velshi undersold how far out in left field Talarico really is. Velshi wants to portray the race as between Democrats, who believe in addressing pocketbook issues, and Republicans, who want to focus on culture war nonsense, but Talarico is the guy who has previously claimed there are six sexes. That turns the race into a referendum on reality.
Because this was an Ali Velshi-hosted segment, Talarico was able to respond by simply giving his usual stump speech, “Well, this is Ken Paxton’s playbook, distraction and division. That's the way he's held on to power. It's the way every crooked politician holds on to power. They get us looking left and right at our neighbors instead of looking up at them, looking up at their billionaire mega-donors, their corporate special interests because that's who owns Ken Paxton.”
Talarico also claimed, “He doesn't work for us. He doesn't serve the people. He serves himself and he serves his donors… This really isn't about party. It's not about the red team or the blue team. It's about all of us coming together to take on the people at the top who have been screwing us over for far too long now.”
It is a simple fact that Talarico has radical views about things related to sex and gender, so, of course, Republicans are going to make an effort to inform voters of his disconnect from reality because Ali Velshi and MS NOW certainly won’t.
Here is a transcript for the August 20 show:
MS NOW All In With Chris Hayes
8/20/2026
8:48 PM ET
ALI VELSHI: I've been having conversations with people like you: Democrats who have a good chance of winning in states that have traditionally been Republican or in recent years at least have voted for Donald Trump. And I've had this conversation with Roy Cooper, and last night I had it with David Jolly. And there is some indication that when things are going badly for Republicans, particularly as they are now, because of the cost of living and this war that we were told we weren't going to get involved in wars like this. Democrats have a few go-tos and they're enjoying one of them with you. They talk a lot about transgender stuff, and they lean into that.
I don't know what effect that has because I think for regular people, as I just spoke to Sherrod Brown about, they're worried about the cost of their lives, the cost of their diesel, the cost of their fertilizer if they’re farmers, the cost of their gas. Most people are not losing sleep over transgender kids in sports, but they seem to just be stuck on this one with you.
JAMES TALARICO: Well, this is Ken Paxton’s playbook, distraction and division. That's the way he's held on to power. It's the way every crooked politician holds on to power. They get us looking left and right at our neighbors instead of looking up at them, looking up at their billionaire mega-donors, their corporate special interests because that's who owns Ken Paxton.
He doesn't work for us. He doesn't serve the people. He serves himself and he serves his donors. And that is the rot at the core of this broken system. It's why Texans can't get ahead no matter how hard they work, no matter how much they save and stretch and sacrifice. They can't make those ends meet. They can't fulfill their God-given potential because the system is rigged against them by crooked politicians like Ken Paxton. So that's what this whole race is about. This really isn't about party. It's not about the red team or the blue team. It's about all of us coming together to take on the people at the top who have been screwing us over for far too long now.
