What it means to be a man is a theme in Texas Senate race as Paxton attacks Talarico

Masculinity Discussed in Texas Senate Race After Paxton Primary Win

After Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton won the Republican primary for U.S. Senate this week, he made several remarks about Democratic opponent state Rep. James Talarico at an election night event. Paxton referred to Talarico by nicknames including "tofu Talarico," "six-gender Jimmy," "James Talafreako," and "Low-T Talarico." He also released an advertisement that concluded with an image of Talarico paired with the text "Radical Talarico: too low-T for Texas."

Other Republican figures made similar comments in the following days. White House advisor Stephen Miller stated on Fox News that Talarico is the Democrats' "first transgender Senate candidate," though Talarico is not transgender. Miller added that Talarico is "clearly transitioning into a female" and that "when Talarico goes in for a blood test, when he gets a physical, blood doesn't come out. Soy milk comes out." Florida Republican congressional candidate Dan Weldon questioned Talarico's familiarity with football, saying it is a problem for Democrats that their male candidates "couldn't name a single obscure wide receiver from the early 2000s." Fox host Jesse Watters described Talarico as a "gay vegan" while noting that Talarico is neither.

Some remarks referenced prior statements by Talarico. In a 2022 speech during his state House reelection campaign, Talarico said his campaign had "officially become a non-meat campaign, so we are only buying vegan products from our local vegan businesses" in the context of climate policy. Talarico later stated at a rally that he has eaten barbecue "since before Ken Paxton's first indictment," referring to Paxton's 2015 federal securities fraud charges. The phrase "six-gender Jimmy" refers to a 2021 comment in which Talarico said modern science acknowledges six biological variations based on chromosomes. Talarico told CBS News this week that he knows there are two sexes, men and women, and that a small percentage of people have chromosomal abnormalities and deserve dignity and respect.

Texas Republican strategist Brendan Steinhauser, who worked on Sen. John Cornyn's 2014 campaign, said references to traditional masculinity can appeal to voters in Texas who value "rugged individualism" and "the kind of strong man who's working hard and taking care of his family." Progressive strategist Cliff Walker said voters focused on rising prices are unlikely to base decisions on topics such as meat consumption, describing the audience receptive to that messaging as negligible. Walker also noted Paxton's prior legal matters, including the 2015 indictment, an affair allegation, and a Texas House impeachment on abuse-of-office charges from which Paxton was acquitted by the Texas Senate. Both campaigns declined to comment for this article.

Candidates have used comparisons involving physical strength or energy in prior elections. During the 2016 Republican presidential primary, Donald Trump referred to Marco Rubio as "Little Marco" and Jeb Bush as "Low-Energy Jeb." Trump has appeared at construction sites in hard hats, praised certain foreign leaders for strength, and referenced military service in speeches. On January 6, 2021, Trump described Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp as small and weak. An octagon is currently under construction on the White House South Lawn for a June 14 UFC event marking the 250th anniversary of American independence, which also falls on Trump's 80th birthday and Flag Day.

Steinhauser said some Republican efforts seek to emphasize traditional views of masculinity and to describe certain men as weaker. Walker said figures including Joe Rogan, Jordan Peterson, Benny Johnson, and Matt Walsh focus on hypermasculinity in commentary. Political scientist Dan Cassino of Fairleigh Dickinson University said explicit references to testosterone levels as relevant to political qualifications represent a shift from earlier discourse that did not use terminology from online forums in the same way.

Cassino also noted that Talarico, as a white Christian man, has at times advocated positions emphasizing compassion over maintenance of existing social hierarchies. Economic conditions affecting working-class men have already placed pressure on those hierarchies, Cassino said, making statements from within that group potentially more noticeable to some audiences.

Paxton's primary victory came against Cornyn, whom he defeated after Cornyn had won the seat in 2014. Talarico, first elected to the Texas House in 2018, represents a district in the Austin suburbs. The general election is scheduled for November.