James Talarico promised to co-sponsor the Equality Act, but now only says he will ‘review’ the bill

Texas Democratic U.S. Senate candidate James Talarico pledged in writing to support the Equality Act. But as Republicans hammer his past statements supporting transgender youth, his campaign appears to be working on its message around whether he still supports it.

The campaign first declined to affirm Talarico’s support for the legislation when The Washington Post asked.

Talarico signed a 2025 questionnaire submitted to the Stonewall Democrats of Austin, in which Talarico’s campaign wrote that “if elected, Rep. Talarico would sponsor the Equality Act in the U.S. Senate.” He also answered “Yes” when the Communications Workers of America asked whether he would support the bill.

After the paper published its initial article, a campaign spokesperson said Talarico “stands by his support for the Equality Act as listed on the questionnaire.”

Before that, the campaign only committed to reviewing the legislation.

Related: Ken Paxton accuses James Talarico of flip-flopping on trans issues

“If elected, James will review every bill he’s asked to vote on and do what’s best for the people of Texas,” campaign spokesperson JT Ennis told The Washington Post.

Talarico pledged to support the Equality Act during a contentious Democratic primary against U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett. Since then, he has qualified his support on some transgender rights issues as he campaigns statewide.

In an interview with Fox News, he conditioned his support for transgender athletes participating in girls’ sports, saying he “would oppose trans athletes playing in girls’ sports if it endangers safety or fairness.”

Related: The rainbow Pride pin James Talarico encouraged me to wear

Shortly before, Talarico said on a podcast that he opposed gender-affirming surgeries for minors. As a Texas legislator, he voted against SB 14, a broader ban on gender-affirming care for minors that passed in 2023.

His Republican opponent, Ken Paxton, has seized on those statements to accuse Talarico of flip-flopping on transgender rights.

Related: The Democratic candidate in the Texas Senate race is going to be an LGBTQ+ ally

Meanwhile, Talarico holds a narrow polling lead in the race for the seat now held by Republican Sen. John Cornyn. RealClear Polling average shows Talarico ahead of Paxton by 2.8 percentage points.

Talarico has no dedicated LGBTQ+ issues section on his campaign website, but he includes sexual orientation and gender in a broader statement about equality in its “Freedom, Family & Faith” section. There, he says America’s promise is “a democracy where every person and every family — regardless of religion, race, gender, sexual orientation, or any other difference between us — can truly be free and live up to their full potential.”