Stephen Miller Falsely Calls James Talarico the Democrats’ “First Transgender Senate Candidate”

Stephen Miller, White House deputy chief of staff, falsely accused Texas Senate candidate James Talarico of being transgender during an online exchange on Tuesday, intensifying Republican attacks on the Democratic candidate as the Texas Senate race draws national attention. The comment came after the Democratic National Committee highlighted Talarico on X following Texas Republicans’ decision to nominate Attorney General Ken Paxton over incumbent Sen. John Cornyn in the GOP primary. President Donald Trump had endorsed Paxton the previous week.

Talarico, who won the Democratic Senate primary in March, is cisgender and heterosexual. He has become a high-profile figure in Texas politics because of his support for LGBTQ+ rights and his growing profile as a Democrat who could make the state competitive in a future Senate contest. Republicans have increasingly focused on his public remarks and advocacy, using them to portray him as outside the mainstream.

In response to Miller’s post, the DNC’s official account replied with a profanity-laced insult, escalating the online clash. Talarico himself did not directly answer the attack, but he has continued to defend his positions. He has faced criticism for comments that some Republicans seized on, including a speech in which he described God as “nonbinary.” Talarico later told CBS News that the language was intentionally provocative, but said his point was that God cannot be confined by human categories.

Talarico has also said he recognizes that there are two sexes, men and women, while also emphasizing that people with chromosomal abnormalities deserve dignity and respect. His comments have been used by opponents in broader attacks against LGBTQ+ issues. Republican National Committee Chair Joe Gruters repeated several of those claims on Tuesday, accusing Talarico of supporting transgender policies and saying Republicans reject what he described as progressive social positions.

Talarico pushed back on one of the attacks by joking that he is not vegan and pointing to his Texas roots. He said he is an eighth-generation Texan and quipped that he has been eating barbecue since before Paxton’s first indictment.

Miller’s statement was also inaccurate in a broader historical sense. Transgender candidates have won legislative office in the United States, though they have done so as Democrats. Before Sarah McBride became the first openly transgender member of Congress, she was elected to the Delaware state Senate and later became the nation’s first openly transgender state senator in 2020.

The exchange highlights the increasingly aggressive use of anti-LGBTQ+ rhetoric in Republican attacks on Democratic candidates, especially in races that could reshape the political landscape in Texas.