Unearthed clip exposes the Talarico comment that triggered backlash from parents

James Talarico, the Democratic candidate for U. Senate in Texas, once dismissed public outcry around explicit material in Texas public schools as a kind of "conspiracy theory" at a July 2022 hearing on education. "We’re going to spend hours hearing bills that are just kind of conspiracy theory-driven and kind of kooky stuff. And we’re going to hear some of that today, I think, in the public testimony — not the invited testimony, but the public testimony," Talarico said as a then-member of the Texas House of Representatives. The resurfaced moment adds to the pile of past statements dealing with gender, immigration and law enforcement, complicating the political calculus for Talarico as he aims to convince voters in Texas that, even as a Democrat, he could represent a Republican-leaning constituency in the Lone Star State.