When even CNN admits that a candidate whose viability could determine Democrat control of the Senate was engaging in “woke mad libs” during a clip, it’s bad.
But then, it’s just another day that ends in Y for James Talarico, the Texas state representative who hopes to flip the Lone Star state blue. Talarico is marketing himself as a moderate and a “Presbyterian seminarian,” but the problem is that he lives in the age of video and that he’s said a lot of things on camera that prove this is ridiculous.
The latest, in which he denounced capitalism during a virtual forum in 2020, couldn’t even draw a defense from CNN’s reliably liberal “Newsnight” moderator Abby Phillip.
The comments were made to the Sierra Club back in 2020.
“Young activists have really drawn the link between climate change and white supremacy and capitalism in our country,” Talarico says in the clip.
“And I think only in the ways that all three of those oppressive systems work together are we going to be able to begin the process of dismantling them.”
On Tuesday, Phillip noted that “at a time that he’s hoping to broaden his appeal, Talarico has been forced to walk back his history of progressive politics.
“A spokesperson for the campaign told CNN that Talarico has already acknowledged some of his past comments, quote, ‘missed the mark,’ and Talarico called them ‘cringy,’” she added, before appending her own assessment.
“It is what some people are calling peak woke,” she said.
“It’s almost like woke mad libs in that statement.”
CNN NewsNight’s Abby Phillip calls out James Talarico for exemplifying “peak woke” and engaging in “woke MadLibs” in the wake of the CNN report that the Texas Democrat Senate candidate called capitalism “oppressive” and linked climate change to white supremacy. pic.twitter.com/zUzKG8vjed
— Steve Guest (@SteveGuest) September 2, 2026
The problem for Talarico is that a lot of his campaign, when he’s asked to take a position that he’s a new sort of Democrat that Texans can get behind and that he’s not his opponent, state Attorney General Ken Paxton — who, like it or not, many (including Republicans) think is a problematic candidate — ends up being “woke mad libs.”
Yes, there are his past statements. You know, “God is nonbinary,” there are six biological sexes, white men are America’s greatest terror threat, America’s border should be a “front porch,” that sort of thing.
The greatest hits has been circulating for a while, after all:
A recap of what James Talarico believes:
– Jesus Christ was a “radical feminist”
– White men are the “greatest” terror threat
– There are “six” biological sexes
– The border should be a “front porch”
– Atheists are “more Christ-like” than ChristiansTalarico is too woke, too… pic.twitter.com/R72OMkIuqj
— Lance Gooden (@Lancegooden) March 5, 2026
The problem is, this hasn’t really ended. Talarico may be one of the people signing onto the now-legendary Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez mantra that “Woke 1 was crazy,” but he’s either still on “Woke 1” or we’re witnessing, with his campaign, the first of the sequel, “2 Woke 2 Furious Karens.”
Take his remarks over the conviction of Karmelo Anthony, the black teen who stabbed a white teen to death without provocation. The whole thing was caught on video and there was ample eyewitness evidence, too, that this was an open-and-shut case of murder.
Not to Talarico, who said of his conviction that “I know that there were no black members of the jury, and to me, that’s the only evidence you need to really prove that this system is not working for black Texans.”
James Talarico says Karmelo Anthony was convicted because “there were no black members of the jury” and the “system is not working for black Texans.”
Karmelo Anthony stabbed 17-year-old Austin Metcalf to death for absolutely no reason.
And @jamestalarico sides with the killer. pic.twitter.com/kFIPWiMxp2
— Brandon Gill (@realBrandonGill) August 20, 2026
You could make the point that Talarico is pandering to the black community, where he’s had trouble making inroads. The thing is, every woke mad lib that comes out of his mouth is a matter of making political inroads. It’s worked thus far, after all, since he’s the senatorial nominee in what’s become a swing seat in a midterm election.
As for his “Presbyterian seminarian” Christian bona fides, consider remarks he made in February to The New Yorker.
“[My campaign manager] and I talk about how Judaism is Season 1 of the show, Christianity is Season 2, and Islam is Season 3,” Talarico said.
“I’m Season 2 — the most violent season. My religion has done more damage to both of those religions than they’ve done to each other,” he continued, adding that even Hindus and atheists could be “more Christlike than some Christians.”
In short, the man has been serving woke word salad before, during, and since 2020. If you think “Woke 1 was crazy,” whatever this is will be a whole lot crazier; that I can guarantee you.
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