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Despite widespread predictions of major Democratic electoral victories this November, South Texas GOP candidate Eric Flores is predicting a “red tidal wave” in the Lone Star State, with controversial Democratic Senate nominee James Talarico as the most prominent Democrat at the top of the ticket.
Flores, a U.S. Army veteran running in Texas’ 34th Congressional District, called out Talarico for his recent “flip-flop” on some of his most controversial stances, including calling God “nonbinary” and saying there are six sexes. He argued that Talarico’s decision to walk back those statements is proof that he and other Democrats in the state “don’t have a record to run on.”
In an interview with Fox News last week, Talarico said he supports banning gender surgery for minors and opposed transgender-identifying men competing in women’s sports. He also addressed his controversial “God is non-binary” comment, saying, “I was being provocative with that statement. I get that,” and “what I was trying to say is that you can’t use human categories to define God, and that’s not controversial theologically. In fact, the late Charlie Kirk, the late Pope Benedict, all said the same thing.”
In response, Flores shot back, “Those aren’t provocative statements; those were statements that were made with intention, and that’s showing who he truly is.”
TALARICO SAYS HE ‘MISSED THE MARK’ AS HE BACKTRACKS ON CONTROVERSIAL WOKE STATEMENTS
Republican congressional candidate Eric Flores, left, is predicting a “red tidal wave” in Texas, with Democratic Senate candidate James Talarico, right, as the state’s most prominent Democrat on the ballot. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images; Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)
Flores is running in a competitive race for a heavily Hispanic district that has long been a Democratic stronghold. The seat is currently held by Rep. Vicente Gonzalez, D-Texas. Despite long being considered a solidly blue district, President Donald Trump won it in 2024. Republicans have also narrowed Democrats’ advantage in the district over the past several election cycles. Flores argued that, with Talarico as the most prominent Democrat running statewide in Texas, this will be the year the GOP finally seals the deal.
“They’re saying that there’s a blue wave. Well, I got news for folks, there’s a red tidal wave coming because we’re going to be getting rid of the wrong type of Democrats like my opponent,” he said.
He credits the GOP’s rising chances in the district to eroding trust in Democrats in South Texas. He said, “the voters are finally asking the questions that South Texas deserves to hear.”
“Everything that I hear throughout Texas 34 is simple, and they are thinking about their pocketbook; they’re thinking about inflation and the cost of living,” he explained.
Flores’ pitch to try to break through the Democrats’ longtime hold on South Texas is “that this isn’t a contract election, it’s a contrast election.”
“What does that mean? That it’s common sense, which is the Republican Party, against communism and fake and the wrong type of Democrats like my opponent who are voting 80 to 85% of the time with AOC,” he said.
THE HISPANIC VOTE IS UP FOR GRABS IN 2026. CANDIDATES WHO IGNORE IT WILL LOSE
Rep. Vicente Gonzalez, D-Texas, second from left, stands alongside then-Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., third from left, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., second from right, and other Democrats during a news conference at the U.S. Capitol on June 16, 2021, in Washington, D.C. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)
In response, Gonzalez told Fox News Digital that “Eric Flores is a rubber-stamp intellectual lightweight that can’t think for himself. He will continue to support the Iran war and policies that raise the cost of living for hardworking South Texans. All while shamelessly taking his ‘Trump Endorsement’ language off all his political ads and sending fundraising messages asking for donors to help him pay back his personal primary campaign debt instead of trying to win his race.”
“That should certainly feel like an air of confidence to the party,” Gonzalez continued, adding, “Trust me, he’s not fooling Democrats or Republicans for that matter. And it won’t be long before he’s back representing child molesters in South Texas.”
Fox News Digital is not aware of any evidence that Flores represented child molesters in his capacity as either a private practice attorney or assistant U.S. attorney.
Fox News Digital also reached out to Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., for comment.
Regarding Talarico’s Fox interview, Flores said, “They’re asking him, do you really think that there are six genders? Do you really support these gender surgeries against minors? That’s the same thing with Talarico and my opponent, when they get questioned, all they can do is flip-flop because they actually don’t have a record to run on other than this far-left woke DEI agenda.”
A spokesperson for Talarico’s campaign directed Fox News Digital back to comments he made during his interview last week. Fox News spoke with Talarico at a food drive campaign event in Dallas on Tuesday. Talarico’s event took place as the first-ever GOP midterm convention kicked off just miles away in downtown Dallas.
Asked whether he would vote as a U.S. senator in favor of a national ban on gender surgery for minors, Talarico answered, “Absolutely.”
He said, “I’ve been consistent on this issue,” explaining his opposition to a Texas bill to ban transgender surgeries on minors by saying the measure “was overly broad.”
“If you go back and check, I voted for a major amendment to limit the bill to banning surgeries for minors,” he said. “As a lawmaker, my job is to try to sift through everything the bill does. And sometimes there’s stuff in it that’s really harmful, and I have no choice but to oppose the bill as a whole.”
In 2023, as a member of the Texas House of Representatives, Talarico voted against Senate Bill 14, which prohibited certain gender surgeries, puberty blockers and certain hormone treatments for minors. Democrats proposed 18 amendments to the bill, all of which Talarico supported and all of which ultimately failed.
EXCLUSIVE VIDEO: DEMS FACE MAJOR DEFEAT AFTER PARTY ‘MISSED THE CUE’ IN TOP TARGETED DISTRICT: CANDIDATE
Republican Eric Flores, a U.S. Army veteran and former federal prosecutor, launched his campaign for Congress in Texas’ 34th Congressional District. (Eric Flores campaign)
“It’s why I try to use amendments, to narrow the focus of the bill so that it does exactly what we intend it to do,” he continued. “It’s what I tried to do with that piece of legislation, and unfortunately, the amendment I supported was unsuccessful.”
Talarico also told Fox News, “I supported amendments that would have given the power to make these decisions to local communities,” adding, “like conservatives used to believe, I believe in local control.”
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In the same interview, Talarico acknowledged that men in women’s sports is a significant issue in Texas. He said, “I oppose trans athletes playing in girls’ sports if it endangers safety or fairness.”
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“Every sport has to be safe and fair. As a former public school teacher, I care a lot about our student athletes. I care a lot about our students. And so, I will oppose trans athletes playing in girls’ sports if it risks safety or fairness,” he said.
Comparing himself to his Republican opponent, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, Talarico said, “I am proud of my legislative track record delivering for Texans. I brought Democrats and Republicans together to pass 60 bipartisan bills that lower people’s costs and get the economy back on track. I’ll put my record up against Ken Paxton’s every day of the week and twice on Sunday.”