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The James Talarico Experience

A wide-ranging conversation with the Texas state rep on his party’s flight from Texas, the value of being in the political wilderness, and his own Senate ambitions.

James Talarico
"A party is defined by its most prominent leaders, and we Democrats have suffered from not putting forward younger, more dynamic leaders who can speak to the country. I think that’s going to change," says James Talarico. Photo: Jason Bollenbacher/SXSW Conference & Festivals/Getty Images
John Heilemann
August 26, 2025

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The precise moment that James Talarico emerged as a figure of fascination among the national political cognoscenti can be pinpointed to July 18, when an episode of The Joe Rogan Experience featuring Talarico dropped on YouTube and throughout the podcast universe. Over the course of two hours and 36 minutes, Talarico, a 36-year-old Democratic Texas state legislator and aspiring pastor currently enrolled in Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary, uncorked a tour de force performance that, by the end of the show, had Rogan exhorting him to run for president—and more than a few members of the party’s smart set whispering similar sentiments.