James Talarico, a Texas Democrat running for U.S. Senate who has put his faith at the forefront of his campaign, follows several adult film performers, escorts and OnlyFans models on Instagram, according to an Axios review.
The big picture: Talarico, 36, a seminarian and state House member, has become a sensation in Texas politics by talking about how his Christianity is the basis for his Democratic politics.
- He says he wants to win back Christians who have left the Democratic Party by exposing how Republican policies on immigration and other issues don't align with biblical values.
- Talarico has drawn large crowds around the state, and praise from party leaders including former President Obama.
Talarico's spokesperson JT Ennis said in a statement that "the social media team — including James — follows back and engages with supporters who have large followings and does not investigate their backgrounds." The Instagram accounts Talarico follows typically have at least 50,000 followers.
- Talarico and his campaign team both use his account. He has more than 1.7 million followers but follows only about 3,700 people.
- The campaign did not make Talarico available to comment.
Zoom in: Talarico follows 10 Instagram accounts of women who are popular porn actors, OnlyFans models, and have accounts on escort sites, according to publicly available accounts viewed by Axios in recent weeks.
- Earlier this year, he "liked" separate photos of an Austin-based Instagram account holder who also has an OnlyFans account and a page on EscortBook.com — a site that claims to be the "#1 content management system in the escort industry!"
- Those photos did not include nudes, which are largely banned on Instagram.
- Talarico also follows Instagram accounts of adult film actors such as @honky_tonkangel, who has nearly 250,000 followers and goes by the name Giselle Palmer.
- Some accounts with matching usernames of the Instagram accounts he follows appear on sites such as datingpornstar.com and escortstate.com, while several have adult content on OnlyFans. All of those accounts include provocative pictures and some link to their other sites with explicit content, but don't identify their holders as adult film performers.
"James has never subscribed to Only Fans or an escort service," Ennis said.
- "While James was unaware of how these women make money," Ennis said, "he does not judge them for it and will not play into an effort to smear them for clickbait articles. That's exactly what his Christian faith calls him to do."
- The campaign said Talarico has messaged with only one of the accounts and shared a screenshot of the exchange, which was a simple "thank you" for an Instagram story appearing to promote his campaign.
Zoom out: In launching his Senate campaign in September, Talarico drew parallels between the biblical story of Jesus kicking out money-changers from the temple, and the need for politicians to take on today's billionaire class.
- "2,000 years ago, when the powerful few rigged the system, that barefoot rabbi walked into the seat of power and flipped over the tables of injustice. To those who love our country, to those who love our neighbors: It's time to start flipping tables," Talarico's website reads.
- His launch video, which echoes that message, is filmed with a church-like building in the background.
Talarico's approach has drawn praise from Obama and podcaster Joe Rogan, who hosted Talarico on his podcast.
- Obama last month called Talarico "terrific" and "really talented" while talking with podcaster Marc Maron.
- Rogan — who endorsed President Trump in 2024 — encouraged Talarico to run for president.
What's next: Talarico is in one of the nation's most-watched 2026 Senate races. He and Colin Allred, a former U.S. House member who lost to Sen. Ted Cruz (R) in 2024, are the leading contenders in the Democratic primary.
- In the Republican primary, Sen. John Cornyn is facing a battle against Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton.
- If he wins the nomination, Talarico would face a general election in conservative Texas.
- But Democrats think they have a chance to win the seat, particularly if Republicans nominate the scandal-plagued Paxton, a MAGA loyalist, rather than Cornyn.
