James Talarico, the Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate in Texas, is working to reshape his public image on immigration, gun rights, and transgender issues — positioning himself as a moderate ahead of a November race against Trump-backed Republican Ken Paxton. But his recent statements are drawing scrutiny for appearing to contradict a well-documented progressive record built during his time in the Texas state legislature.

In an appearance on the podcast “Cogdell Law Uncensored” this week, Talarico sharply criticized former President Joe Biden’s handling of the southern border. “I called out Joe Biden for failing to secure our southern border and I got a lot of heat from my own party for doing that,” he told host and attorney Dan Cogdell. He added that colleagues representing border communities had described to him the “utter chaos caused by President Biden’s policies.”

The remarks represent a notable rhetorical shift. During Biden’s presidency, Talarico held positions well to the left on immigration. He publicly accused Immigration and Customs Enforcement of “terrorizing our country,” called the agency “secret police,” and urged Americans to “stand up and fight back” against it. He once suggested the border should serve as a “welcome mat” for illegal immigrants and, in 2019, criticized Texas Republicans for advancing legislation that funded border wall construction. He also referred to undocumented immigrants as his “constituents” and shared advice on how to evade ICE.

When Fox News Digital pressed Talarico’s campaign to provide evidence that he had pushed back against Biden on border security while the former president was still in office, his team could not produce any. The moderated stance on immigration emerged only after Talarico launched his Senate bid in Texas — the most populous Republican-leaning state in the country and the one most directly affected by illegal border crossings.

His campaign press secretary, JT Ennis, insisted that “James has never supported abolishing ICE and supports more border security,” pointing to legislation he authored to modernize ports of entry and his calls for more Border Patrol agents. Ennis also framed Talarico’s position as focused on “deporting criminals instead of hunting down moms, babies, and small business owners who have been contributing to our economy for decades.”

On gun rights, Talarico similarly tried to occupy the middle ground during the podcast, describing himself as a firm defender of the Second Amendment while also advocating for stricter regulations. “I believe in the Second Amendment just as much as I believe in the First,” he said, while adding that the right to bear arms is “not absolute” and calling for background checks and safe storage laws. He criticized both those on the left “trying to take away people’s guns” and those on the right who “don’t want to see any regulations.”

That framing conflicts with past statements. Just months ago, Talarico expressed support for red flag laws, which empower judges to order the removal of firearms from individuals deemed a potential danger. He also once accused Republicans of loving guns more than children — a line he delivered at a 2024 Travis County Democratic Party event. His campaign maintains he has “always believed” in protecting the Second Amendment alongside “common sense measures.”

Talarico also used the podcast to distance himself from gender reassignment surgeries for minors, saying plainly, “I oppose gender reassignment surgeries for minors.” That statement comes after years of outspoken advocacy for transgender youth that drew both praise and criticism. In 2023, he voted against a state bill banning cross-sex hormones for minors. He made headlines the same year when, asked on a podcast to name something he loved outside of friends and family, he named “the trans children who showed up yesterday at the state capitol to advocate for their humanity.” On the Texas House floor that year, he told transgender youth they were “loved beyond measure.”

His campaign defended the apparent inconsistency by drawing a line between surgical procedures and broader support for transgender individuals, while accusing opponents like Paxton of using cultural wedge issues to distract from government corruption.

Talarico is running against Ken Paxton, the former Texas Attorney General and a figure well known in conservative circles, who has the backing of former President Donald Trump. Texas has not sent a Democrat to the U.S. Senate since 1988, making the race an uphill climb regardless of messaging strategy. Paxton’s campaign did not respond to requests for comment on Talarico’s changed positions.

The broader challenge for Talarico is a familiar one for Democrats attempting to win statewide in Texas: threading the needle between a progressive base that powered his primary victory and a general electorate that has consistently rejected left-leaning candidates. Whether voters will view his repositioning as genuine moderation or political calculation is likely to become a central question of the race.