Ted Cruz Calls James Talarico a 'Marxist' and 'Islamist' After Record Haul

Senator Ted Cruz of Texas called Democratic Senate nominee James Talarico "a Marxist," "an Islamist" and "a radical" on Verdict with Ted Cruz. He spoke as Talarico's campaign announced it had raised $64 million in the third quarter, a record for a U.S. Senate candidate.

Cruz used the segment to build a case against Talarico, who faces Republican Attorney General Ken Paxton on November 3. He played four clips of Talarico, on transgender care for minors, immigration, oil and gas, and meat, and argued that they showed a radical who wants to destroy Texans' jobs and way of life.

Ted Cruz Concedes Talarico's Money and Momentum

Cruz did not play down the state of the race. "It is a dead heat. He and Ken Paxton are tied," he said, adding: "The news just broke that James Talarico raised $64 million in the third quarter, which is the largest third quarter of any Senate candidate in history."

He said "leftists are flooding money into Talarico's campaign because they understand he's one of them," and followed with: "He is a Marxist, he is an Islamist, he is a radical."

The labels are Cruz's own, and he offered no evidence for the "Islamist" charge. He made it right after a long segment on Michigan Democrat Abdul El-Sayed, whose alleged ties to the Muslim Brotherhood Cruz has pressed on the show before. El-Sayed denies any ties. Cruz also said people showing up to Talarico's campaign rallies in masks were "little woke Marxists and Islamists."

What the Fundraising Record Shows

The campaign announced the $64 million on Thursday and said it had raised more than $134 million over the cycle, CBS News reported. The previous third-quarter record was Democrat Jaime Harrison's $57 million in his 2020 South Carolina race.

Paxton reported $18 million for the same quarter. That was his best quarter so far and double his $9 million second-quarter total, the Texas Tribune reported. In the same quarter of their Texas Senate runs, Beto O'Rourke raised $38 million in 2018 and Colin Allred $30 million in 2024, according to the Texas Tribune.

The race is close, but polls do not show a tie. Talarico leads Paxton 47.4 percent to 43.9 percent in PolitiKool's polling average for Texas, a 3.5-point margin.

Ted Cruz's Clips Versus What Talarico Said

On transgender care, Cruz played Talarico saying, "This discussion is a difficult one. It's one that requires nuance and thoughtfulness." In the clip, Talarico said Republican legislators had pushed "an extreme ban" that would go after several forms of health care, "not just gender reassignment surgeries." Cruz replied, "this topic is not a difficult one," and said Talarico supports surgery on children. Talarico did not say that in the clip. He mentioned surgeries only to describe the ban's scope.

Talarico gave no number in the clip. The "20 to 30 million" figure came from Cruz and Ferguson. The Pew Research Center estimated the unauthorized immigrant population at a record 14 million in 2023. In an interview with Fox News, Talarico called himself "a border security Democrat" and said a path to citizenship should also require a criminal background check, the Washington Examiner reported.

On energy, Cruz said "James Talarico wants to destroy those jobs for millions of Texans." In the clip, from a legislative hearing, Talarico said, "I want Texas to be number one in renewables going forward in the 21st century," and compared fossil fuels to cassette tapes: "Time to transition because that's not gonna last very long." He did not give a timeline or say what would happen to oil and gas jobs.

The Meat Clip Has Been Checked Before

In the last clip, Talarico said "it is now existential that we try to reduce our meat consumption" and called his campaign "a non-meat campaign." Cruz told ranchers, "he wants to destroy your way of life."

In May, PolitiFact rated False a claim by Ken Paxton, made in his May 26 primary victory speech, that Talarico is a vegan. It noted that Talarico has been photographed eating a turkey leg at the State Fair of Texas, steak and chicken at a San Antonio restaurant, and egg-and-cheese tacos in Austin.

Cruz conceded the race is a dead heat, then spent the rest of the segment arguing that Talarico must be defeated.