# Senate races 2026 **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [January 28, 2025, 3:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/senate-races-2026/1013534 "2025-01-28T15:04:17Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 11
**Author:** ![Thing.Fish](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thing.fish/32/9168_2.png) [@Thing.Fish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thing.Fish)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2026, 7:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/senate-races-2026/1013534/201 "2026-06-15T19:17:29Z")
No, absolutely not. I think it is fine for him to present the simplest version of his position and move on. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2026, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/senate-races-2026/1013534/202 "2026-06-15T19:35:48Z")
> [@Thing.Fish](#): > > I would say that not mentioning the “except in rare circumstances” part is a small concession to MAGA framing. You could flip that around, though: Say that you’re never in favor of sex-reassignment surgery on minors… including in cases where a baby is born with ambiguous genitals. MAGAs hate the existence of that sort of ambiguity, and so they’re all for that particular sex-reassignment surgery on minors. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2026, 3:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/senate-races-2026/1013534/203 "2026-06-23T03:51:04Z")
This made my day. > **[Trump relationship with Senate GOP crumbling after repeated clashes - AOL](https://www.aol.com/articles/trump-relationship-senate-gop-crumbling-100000000.html)** > > President Trump’s relationship with key Senate Republicans, including Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.), is crumbling after repeated clashes over strategy on an array of issues. The two sides are splitting further apart as the midterm... ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2026, 4:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/senate-races-2026/1013534/204 "2026-06-23T16:48:41Z")
Fabulous! 🥳 Damn! It’s taken those bozos long enough! ---
**Author:** ![DesertDog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/desertdog/32/11503_2.png) [@DesertDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DesertDog)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2026, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/senate-races-2026/1013534/205 "2026-06-23T17:19:03Z")
Yeah, they get no credit from me. Too little, too late, and I sincerely doubt they are not going to try to grasp the levers of power by any means, fair or foul. ---
**Author:** ![ZosterSandstorm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/e0b2c6/32.png) [@ZosterSandstorm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZosterSandstorm)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2026, 1:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/senate-races-2026/1013534/206 "2026-06-24T01:20:37Z")
One of the problems with the “nominate people with good hair to con voters into voting for things they don’t support” strategy is oftentimes those people are not much smarter than the voters they are trying to swindle and end up saying what they actually believe on recordings: > **[Talarico’s Slippery 'Christian Who Hates Christianity' Audio Resurfaced](https://www.yahoo.com/news/politics/articles/talarico-slippery-christian-hates-christianity-170055526.html)** > > James Talarico’s 2021 “Christian who hates Christianity” comment resurfaces as he faces Ken Paxton in the 2026 Texas Senate race. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2026, 1:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/senate-races-2026/1013534/207 "2026-06-24T01:27:39Z")
Um, yeah, I know exactly what he means. ---
**Author:** ![Jas09](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/d07c76/32.png) [@Jas09](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jas09)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2026, 3:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/senate-races-2026/1013534/208 "2026-06-24T03:33:43Z")
The list of Christians who didn’t like organized Christianity includes most of our best Presidents - Jefferson and Lincoln for sure. Likely Washington as well. ---
**Author:** ![ZosterSandstorm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/e0b2c6/32.png) [@ZosterSandstorm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZosterSandstorm)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2026, 3:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/senate-races-2026/1013534/209 "2026-06-24T03:43:26Z")
Yes, that’s all great if you are trying to win votes from history professors or people on this board who would vote for a box of tapioca pudding if it had a D next to its name. When you are campaigning for the support of swing voters in Texas, and have been doing so on the “I went to divinity school so I’m the Real Christian and you have to vote for me according to a rule I made” platform for the last six months, these sorts of comments are the death knell for whatever small chance he had of winning. ---
**Author:** ![iiandyiiii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iiandyiiii/32/7924_2.png) [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2026, 9:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/senate-races-2026/1013534/210 "2026-06-24T09:32:26Z")
Can you name a Democratic candidate you do support and think it’s a good candidate? ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2026, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/senate-races-2026/1013534/211 "2026-06-24T21:44:59Z")
> [@ZosterSandstorm](#): > > When you are campaigning for the support of swing voters in Texas, and have been doing so on the “I went to divinity school so I’m the Real Christian and you have to vote for me according to a rule I made” platform for the last six months, these sorts of comments are the death knell for whatever small chance he had of winning. Yeah that’s not his platform. He’s running against one of the most abhorrent people to have been nominated for major office and he has kept mostly to issues. His truly horrible excuse for a human being is spending his time digging up out context quotes on religion. Talerico is mostly concentrating on the issues while also reminding people about what a slime he’s running against. Would it have been easier for him now if he only spoke about religion in the past in very simplistic ways? Sure. ---
**Author:** ![JohnGalt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johngalt/32/184_2.png) [@JohnGalt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnGalt)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2026, 10:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/senate-races-2026/1013534/212 "2026-06-24T22:05:38Z")
That _Dallas Express_ article certainly is biased. I get the drift of what Talarico is saying bout “Christianity”, but I also see that would be an issue with shallow voters in Texas. But boy oh boy, the rest of the article proclaims Paxton as essentially the greatest human being alive while omitting his many scandals and impeachment. I threw up a bit in my mouth. ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2026, 11:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/senate-races-2026/1013534/213 "2026-06-24T23:16:22Z")
Thesis: you think Talarico thinks voters are dumb: > [@ZosterSandstorm](#): > > One of the problems with the “nominate people with good hair to con voters into voting for things they don’t support” strategy is oftentimes those people are not much smarter than the voters they are trying to swindle and end up saying what they actually believe on recordings Antithesis: You think voters are too dumb to understand Talarico: > [@ZosterSandstorm](#): > > Yes, that’s all great if you are trying to win votes from history professors Synthesis: you, and the Republican establishment, hope that voters are too dumb to understand the nuanced argument he’s making about Christianity. There’s fortunately no sign that your hope will bear fruit. Please correct me if I’m misrepresenting you in paraphrase. ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2026, 11:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/senate-races-2026/1013534/214 "2026-06-24T23:19:37Z")
Interesting information about the _Dallas Express:_ > **[Monty Bennett | Publishing career](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monty_Bennett#Publishing_career)** > > In 2021, Bennett launched and became publisher of the Dallas Express, a conservative news website in Dallas, Texas. It is unrelated to the African-American Dallas newspaper of the same name that published from 1892 to 1970. In October 2020, The New York Times reported that Bennett had pitched a media network called Metric Media run by Brian Timpone to publish articles about topics ranging from COVID-19 stimulus legislation to U.S.–China policy. Bennett announced In 2024, the Texas Observer report... > [@](#): > > In 2024, the _Texas Observer_ reported that Bennett had retained the services of Crowds on Demand, a group known for offering protesters-for-hire, to create a number of advocacy groups that were routinely quoted in articles in Bennett’s _Dallas Express_ without their disclosing behind-the-scenes connections.[[20]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monty_Bennett#cite_note-:8-21) Bennett admitted that his company Ashford had hired Crowds on Demand but otherwise denied the findings of the _Texas Observer_ report, which quoted Emily Bell, the founding director of the Tow Center for Digital Journalism at Columbia Journalism School, who said that the Dallas Express has violated basic journalistic ethics and is deceptive: “Effectively, the business model here is deception. It’s not just about them being partisan. It’s about them being dishonest and crossing basic lines of journalism. They’re not even doing journalism. They’re doing P.R., political advertising, or persuasion campaigns.” [[20]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monty_Bennett#cite_note-:8-21) And a fun snippet about their publisher: > [@](#): > > n 2014, he won an out-of-court settlement against the [Tarrant Regional Water District](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tarrant_Regional_Water_District "Tarrant Regional Water District") to divert a pipeline from running across his property, having created a [conservation district](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Protected_area "Protected area") on his land and brought [endangered animals](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Endangered_species "Endangered species") to live on the land, amongst other [exotic animals](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Exotic_pet "Exotic pet") he already had.[[1]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monty_Bennett#cite_note-:2-1)[[29]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monty_Bennett#cite_note-30) He also established a cemetery in the pipeline’s path to thwart it.[[14]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monty_Bennett#cite_note-:0-15) ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2026, 11:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/senate-races-2026/1013534/215 "2026-06-24T23:24:25Z")
Dare I ask where he got the corpses for the cemetery? ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2026, 12:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/senate-races-2026/1013534/216 "2026-06-25T00:04:50Z")
> [@Loach](#): > > His truly horrible excuse for a human being is spending his time digging up out context quotes on religion. Talerico is mostly concentrating on the issues while also reminding people about what a slime he’s running against. Paxton is trying out for biggest liar (of course, compared to trump…) > **[Paxton ad omits Talarico’s full remarks about US border](https://www.politifact.com/factchecks/2026/may/28/ken-paxton/talarico-southern-border-front-porch-texas-senate/)** > > A new ad from Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton included a clip of Democratic U.S. Senate candidate James Talarico saying the U.S. southern border should have “a giant welcome mat out front.” It omitted the part in which he said, “and a lock on the... > **[Is James Talarico a vegan? Fact-checking Paxton’s attack](https://www.politifact.com/factchecks/2026/may/27/ken-paxton/in-texas-senate-race-ken-paxton-falsely-claims-jam/)** > > Is Democratic Texas Senate candidate James Talarico a vegan, as Republican rival Ken Paxton said? The public evidence doesn’t back up the vegan claim. Interestingly I checked PolitiFact for Platner also- this is all they have- > **[Fact-check: Is Graham Platner’s oyster farm ‘totally fake’?](https://www.politifact.com/factchecks/2026/jun/16/steve-robinson/is-graham-platners-oyster-farm-totally-fake-fact-c/)** > > Republicans are trying to undermine the blue-collar image of Maine Democrat Graham Platner, who is challenging U.S. Sen. Susan Collins, claiming his oyster farm is “fake.” That’s False. ---
**Author:** ![ZosterSandstorm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/e0b2c6/32.png) [@ZosterSandstorm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZosterSandstorm)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2026, 1:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/senate-races-2026/1013534/217 "2026-06-25T01:05:25Z")
> [@Loach](#): > > Yeah that’s not his platform. He’s running against one of the most abhorrent people to have been nominated for major office and he has kept mostly to issues. So another campaign based on “my opponent is a Bad Person so I am decreeing you are Not Allowed to vote for him even if you expect that the actual policies he will support in office align with your values more than mine would”? I guess after the smashing success that had nationally against Trump it just makes sense to re-run it when trying to convert Republican voters in Texas. Just another win for the people who get paid $300K a year to advise Democrats on how to lose elections. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2026, 1:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/senate-races-2026/1013534/218 "2026-06-25T01:14:30Z")
Your concern over Talerico is reassuring. If you’re that worried, he must be doing something right. ---
**Author:** ![ZosterSandstorm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/e0b2c6/32.png) [@ZosterSandstorm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZosterSandstorm)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2026, 1:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/senate-races-2026/1013534/219 "2026-06-25T01:22:44Z")
-I don’t live in Texas. -If I did, I suppose I would be voting for Talerico, since I haven’t voted for anyone but a Democrat in any race for more than 15 years, and unlike the DSA infiltrators I actually do think mainstream Democrats are better choices than Republicans to govern the country and I actually do vote for them even if I don’t agree with 100% of their platform. -Talerico has no chance of winning and we’re just re-running the same delusional Beto O’Rourke and Wendy Davis bullshit that happens every time there’s a statewide race in Texas, with the only change being that every year, nonwhite voters in Texas become more Republican than before because their primary issues of concern are public disorder and over-burdening of small business owners, no matter how much people yell at them that they are Not Allowed to care about those things and are Required to vote based on racial identity politics, a strategy which has only failed the last 14 times in a row so just might work this time, I guess. ---
**Author:** ![iiandyiiii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iiandyiiii/32/7924_2.png) [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2026, 1:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/senate-races-2026/1013534/220 "2026-06-25T01:39:07Z")
I can see that you’re very concerned. Maybe you just need to scrunch your forehead harder? God forbid you ever say anything positive about an actual Democrat in office! [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/senate-races-2026/1013534.md?page=10) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/senate-races-2026/1013534.md?page=12)