State Rep. James Talarico says his campaign for the U.S. Senate is about taking on “billionaire mega donors” and lowering costs for working Texans. The four-term Democrat, a former public school teacher, is positioning himself as a grassroots progressive who can also strike bipartisan deals.

He faces a steep climb in a race where fellow Democrat Colin Allred is considered the early frontrunner, and where the eventual Republican nominee — likely Sen. John Cornyn or Attorney General Ken Paxton — will be heavily favored in November. No Democrat has won statewide office in Texas since 1994.

From teaching to politics

Before politics, Talarico taught sixth-grade language arts at Rhodes Middle School on San Antonio’s West Side, one of the poorest ZIP codes in Texas. He said watching students s

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