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EXCLUSIVE: Texas Democratic Senate hopeful James Talarico instantly named Alyssa Edwards when asked at a campaign event to identify his favorite drag queen in the state — pointing to someone who has publicly described himself as “a drag performer that works with children.”
Talarico’s past comments on sexuality and gender issues have become a line of attack in the Senate race, including his remark that “God is nonbinary” and his 2023 praise for Texas having “some of the best drag queens in the nation.”
“Mr. Talarico, so nice to meet you… I was there when you defended the drags,” video shows a man telling the Democratic nominee as he approached to take a photo together at the event.
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Texas state Rep. James Talarico, D-Austin, a Democratic candidate for the U.S. Senate, speaks at a primary election watch party Tuesday, March 3, 2026, in Austin, Texas. (Eric Gay/AP Photo)
“Who’s your favorite drag queen in Texas?” the man asks in the video.
Without a pause, Talarico responds: “Oh, my gosh. Probably Alyssa Edwards.”
The exchange comes after the Washington Free Beacon reported on a 2021 event Talarico headlined called “Taylor PRIDE” in Taylor, Texas, where an 11-year-old boy performed in drag under the name Kween Kee Kee.
In the more recent exchange, Talarico’s instant response naming Edwards referred to Justin Dwayne Lee Johnson, whose stage name is Alyssa Edwards. Johnson has been an outspoken advocate for youth drag shows.
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“I remember being at World Pride in New York a few years back and sharing the stage with my dance students, one of the most powerful moments of my life,” Johnson said in an interview with Out magazine.
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Democratic Senate candidate state Rep. James Talarico speaks to supporters on primary night, in Austin, Texas, on March 3, 2026. (Paul Steinhauser/Fox News)
Johnson’s work with young dancers was also featured in the 2018 Netflix docuseries “Dancing Queen.” The Dallas Observer reported that Johnson called one 10-year-old male student his “mini-me,” and that the child dressed as Alyssa Edwards during an episode of the series.
When asked about the encounter, a spokesperson for Talarico instead appeared to turn the criticism toward the Republican opponent:
“James’ favorite performer is Ken Paxton — who dresses up as attorney general while giving sweetheart deals to child sex predators,” Talarico campaign spokesperson JT Ennis told Fox News Digital.
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Fox News Digital also reached out to Johnson’s representation for comment.
Asked separately by Fox News last week about his controversial comments on gender and related issues, Talarico said he “missed the mark on some of my past statements.”
He said then that he no longer believes there are six sexes, and that people are bringing up that kind of commentary because they do not want to talk about “six dollar diesel” with Republicans in the majority.
Fox News’ Brooke Taylor contributed to this report.