In a Texas Monthly interview published in January, as quoted in the source article, Texas Democrat and U.S. Senate hopeful James Talarico recalled visiting a local mosque the weekend after the September 11, 2001, attacks. Reporter Allegra Hobbs wrote that, according to Talarico, the visit was “a solidarity thing.”
Hobbs reported: “The weekend after September 11, as the Muslim community became a target of vitriol and distrust, she took James, his sister Madeleine, and his two best friends to a local mosque—‘a solidarity thing,’ Talarico said.” The source article states Talarico was 13 at the time. The September 11 attacks killed 2,977 people, per the source.
What he’s said about faith
According to the source article, in a separate interview Talarico described himself as a “Christian who hates Christianity,” and also said: “I’ve learned as much about my faith from Salman’s tradition, from the Islamic mystics, from poets like Rumi, as much as I have from Christian authors.” The source does not provide the date or outlet for these quotes.
Church ties cited by the source
The source article reports that Talarico’s church, St. Andrew’s Presbyterian in Austin, has partnered with the Council on American‑Islamic Relations (CAIR) and hosts a yearly iftar dinner for Ramadan. The source does not include documentation for these claims.
Campaign note (per the source)
The source article says Talarico is on the ballot in November for the U.S. Senate from Texas and identifies Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton as his opponent for Sen. John Cornyn’s seat. This claim has not been independently verified here.
The compilation of quotes and claims appears in a Breitbart News piece by Olivia Rondeau, per the source.
