WASHINGTON — Texas Democratic Senate hopeful James Talarico once decried capitalism as an “oppressive” system — along with white supremacy and climate change — that needed to be dismantled, while predicting that the Lone Star State’s fossil fuel industry was “not gonna last.”
Speaking to Sierra Club activists on a September 2020 Zoom call, Talarico warned that the US was facing the “multi-faceted threat” of a climate, economic, and social crisis.
One activist asked about how communities of color suffer harm from climate change.
“I’m so thankful that you asked this question and also thankful that young activists have really drawn the link between climate change and white supremacy and capitalism in our country,” Talarico responded in comments first reported by CNN.
“And I think only understanding the ways that all three of those oppressive systems work together are we going to be able to begin the process of dismantling them.”
At the time, Talarico was 31 years old and running for a second term in the Texas state legislature.
During the same forum, the Democrat dismissed the oil and gas industry, despite Texas producing 43% of the country’s crude, according to the US Energy Information Administration.
“We all know that Texas has been a leader in oil and gas, but in many ways that’s like being the leader in cassette tapes in the 1980s. That industry is not gonna last,” Talarico said.
“And if we wanna ensure we have an economy that’s gonna work for our children and our children’s children, we gotta be ahead of the curve and Texas has to lead instead of follow on this issue.”
Texas is also the country’s largest wind energy producer and by some estimates has taken the crown from California in utility-scale solar production.
Talarico’s campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment Tuesday, but spokesperson JT Ennis told CNN the candidate “is a proud capitalist and agrees with the majority of Texans that racism, natural disasters, and a billionaire-controlled economy are all problems we need to address.”
“James supports the oil and gas industry and believes in an all-of-the-above energy strategy that protects Texas oil and gas jobs,” Ennis added.
The Talarico campaign also noted that the Democrat had “taken many votes” in favor of the oil industry, and its website indicates his goal is to ensure that Texas “not only maintains, but extends” its energy dominance.
Republicans have repeatedly attacked Talarico over his stance on social issues, including his past suggestion that God is nonbinary, that “God is not Christian,” and that there are six sexes.
“I always think of myself as a Christian who hates Christianity,” Talarico once joked in a 2021 podcast, referring to his frustration with religious conservativism.
Talarico holds a 1.9 percentage-point edge over Republican Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton in the latest RealClearPolitics polling aggregate.
Paxton, who unseated incumbent John Cornyn in the Republican primary, has faced down a series of his own scandals — including charges of securities fraud, infidelity, and impeachment by the Austin legislature.
