Texas Senate Candidate’s Instagram Follows Raise Eyebrows

Austin, Texas — A Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate in Texas is making headlines for his Instagram following. James Talarico, a state House member and seminarian of the Presbyterian faith, follows several accounts linked to the adult entertainment industry, according to an Axios report on Saturday.

Talarico, who is expected to run against either Republican Senator John Cornyn or Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton in the 2026 general election, follows 10 accounts related to adult entertainers and escort services. This revelation has stirred discussions about his campaign strategy and personal beliefs.

JT Ennis, Talarico’s spokesperson, defended the candidate’s social media choices. “While James was unaware of how these women make money, he does not judge them for it and will not play into an effort to smear them for clickbait articles,” Ennis told Axios. He emphasized that Talarico’s Christian faith guides his perspective on such matters.

The candidate distinguishes himself from other Democrats by prioritizing his Christianity in his campaign. He often argues that Republican leaders’ actions contradict genuine devotion to Christ. In a past statement, he likened the biblical story of Jesus driving out money changers from the Temple to the need for politicians to challenge the wealthiest in society.

“Those billionaires want to keep us from seeing all that we have in common,” his campaign message states. “Once we do, we’ll come together — across party, across race, across gender, across religion — to fix what’s broken in our country.”

Axios reported that none of the Instagram accounts followed by Talarico contained explicit nude photographs, adhering to Instagram’s content policies. The Talarico campaign did not respond to a request for further comment regarding this story.