Published February 26, 2026
The religious right bamboozled American Christians into caring about abortion and same-sex marriage. Thus sayeth James Talarico, who wants to be the Democratic Senate nominee for Texas.
By current opinion, Democrats think they might finally win one in Texas, especially if Republicans nominate the scandal-ridden Ken Paxton. But that means Democrats would have to avoid an unelectable pick of their own—Talarico’s primary rival, Jasmine Crockett. With the race looking close and primary day approaching, Talarico got a boost from an interview with Stephen Colbert, which went viral after Colbert and Talarico lied about it being censored by the Trump administration. The ploy to gin up attention worked, and Talarico’s campaign claimed to have raised $2.5 million in 24 hours.
Talarico’s campaign also highlighted his liberal Christianity, exemplified in his claim that “For 50 years, the religious right convinced our fellow Christians that the most important issues were abortion and gay marriage—two issues that aren’t mentioned in the Bible.” True Christianity, he suggested, is manifest in liberalism. Democrats think this is good outreach to religious voters. Perhaps. But it is nonsense. Worse, it is heresy.
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Nathanael Blake, Ph.D. is a Fellow in the Life and Family Initiative at the Ethics and Public Policy Center. His first book, Victims of the Revolution: How Sexual Liberation Hurts Us All, was published by Ignatius Press in Spring 2025. As a cultural commentator, Dr. Blake has published hundreds of articles at outlets including Public Discourse, World Opinions, The Federalist, Catholic World Report, and the University Bookman.
