Newly Catholic JD Vance promotes his own faith, attacks James Talarico’s as a ‘cover’

While campaigning in Texas for Republican Ken Paxton in his U.S. Senate bid, Vice President JD Vance accused Democrat James Talarico of obsessing over children in drag.

“You gotta wonder what really motivates a man who spends so much time talking about 11-year-old drag queens,” Vance said at a rally in Texas on Wednesday. “A man who wears your religion as a cover will never fight for your values.”

The attack on Talarico’s religious sincerity came as Vance has highlighted his own faith. Vance published a book about his conversion to Catholicism during a midterm election year, amid speculation about a 2028 presidential bid.

Related: JD Vance, who has literally done drag, tries to slam James Talarico for having a favorite drag queen

Vance’s insinuation about Talarico’s interest in children followed months of Republicans questioning the Presbyterian seminarian’s sexuality and masculinity, as The Advocate previously reported. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott earlier this year shared a doctored image of Talarico depicted as U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a New York Democrat. The right-wing group Citizens for Sanity also produced a deepfake video of the Democrat in a dress singing about “boys in white dresses” to the tune of “My Favorite Things.”

At the rally, Vance paired his attacks on Talarico’s faith with claims that the candidate’s attention to children and drag came at voters’ expense.

“Talarico thinks that we are backwards and simple,” Vance said. “He’s a man so focused on children and drag, he's never going to care about our jobs.”

Related: How JD Vance went from thinking he was gay and changing his name twice to being an anti-LGBTQ+ extremist

The remarks echoed Republicans’ efforts in the 2024 election to portray support for transgender people as incompatible with addressing other voters’ concerns. One prominent example was a presidential campaign ad that stated, “Kamala is for they/them. President Trump is for you.”

The attacks have continued even as Talarico has distanced himself from past comments he described as “cringey,” including a statement that God is nonbinary.

Talarico has also said he would oppose transgender athletes’ participation in women’s sports “if it endangers safety or fairness.” He took that position after telling a podcast he opposed gender-affirming surgeries for minors.

Related: JD Vance really wants you to know he's 'not gay' while lying about transgender youth

Still, Republicans have attacked Talarico for expressing support for LGBTQ+ people during his legislative career. As The Advocate previously reported, Paxton targeted trans children in a victory speech after defeating incumbent U.S. Sen. John Cornyn in the May Republican primary.

“When asked, what do you love outside of his family and friends?” Paxton told the crowd about Talarico. “His first answer was trans kids. That’s weird, and that’s a radical guy.”