Texas Senate hopeful James Talarico accused of violating state voting residency rules

Democratic Senate contender James Talarico is facing scrutiny after voter records indicate he registered at his mother’s Austin address to launch a 2021 House campaign, a move that may contravene Texas residency requirements. State law stipulates that candidates must have lived in the district for at least one year and in Texas for two years before an election, and there is no evidence Talarico met those criteria at the time of registration.

He later purchased a home within the district in 2022, but the earlier filing remains contested. Talarico has previously accused Republican Attorney General Ken Paxton of voting from an improper address, and Paxton’s campaign has labeled Talarico’s actions “disgusting.” Both parties have declined to comment further, and no formal legal challenge has been filed. The episode adds a new layer of tension to a closely watched Senate race in a traditionally Republican state.