James Talarico Apparently Rented A Pickup Truck To Cosplay As A Regular Texan

Democratic Senate candidate James Talarico apparently rented a pickup truck for a recent campaign video to appear more Texan.

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Talarico can be seen driving a 2026 Ram 1500, which journalist David Weigel determined to be owned by U.S. car rental company Enterprise, in a campaign video posted July 20. The Economist reported in August 2025 that the former school teacher drove a Chevy Colorado.

Talarico has drawn heavy criticism from Republicans and conservatives over his past statements on social issues and guns, as well as his views on Christianity.

Talarico expressed supported for a gun licensing system, an “assault weapon ban,” a “large capacity magazine ban,” and mandated safety standards for handguns, during a recently unearthed web seminar from 2020.

The Democrat also referred to child sex changes as “life-saving health care” and that he “love[s] … trans children” in 2023. He has since backtracked on this stance, saying in a June interview, “I oppose gender reassignment surgeries for minors.”

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Talarico’s opponent, Republican Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, won his primary over incumbent Republican Sen. John Cornyn in late May. Paxton credits his victory to an endorsement from President Donald Trump, made just a week before the election. Talarico currently leads Paxton by five points, according to a new poll published Wednesday.

“We have a saying in Austin. We call it weird. Well this guy’s weird. His positions are weird,” Paxton said of Talarico during an interview with the Daily Caller News Foundation. “He went to San Francisco to raise money. In my opinion, those are his people. They’re not in Texas.”

Paxton also addressed Talarico’s 2021 claim that “God is nonbinary.”

“I think if you look at the scripture it’s pretty clear God is not ‘nonbinary.’ He is expressed in three forms in the trinity, and not as James Talarico is suggesting,” Paxton said.

The Texas State House voted to impeach Paxton in 2023, over alleged “corruption, bribery, obstruction and other charges related to the FBI’s investigation into real estate developer and Paxton donor, Nate Paul.” Paxton was acquitted of all charges by the 16 senators acting as a jury over the proceeding.

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Talarico’s campaign did not respond to the Daily Caller’s request for comment.