Texas state Sen. James Talarico, a Democratic candidate for the U.S. Senate, addressed criticism of his past religious comments during a CNN town hall Wednesday night, responding to a Texas Christian who questioned his statements on God, gender and abortion.
Sarah Gardner, identified in the source as a small-business owner, asked Talarico whether he considered the Bible the absolute source of truth and God’s final authoritative word, even when its teachings conflict with prevailing cultural views. She cited past remarks in which he described God as nonbinary and used biblical arguments to support his position on abortion. Gardner said those comments had led some Christian voters to question the sincerity of his faith.
Talarico answered yes to her question about the Bible’s authority. He added that early Christian communities included disagreement and debate, arguing that the early church was not as uniform as the phrase “singular body” might suggest.
He then addressed his earlier statement about God and gender. Talarico said he had meant that God cannot be confined to human categories, but acknowledged that he had presented the idea provocatively. He said he wanted to clarify the remarks because they had appeared in political attack ads around Texas.
In his explanation, Talarico invoked Charlie Kirk and Pope Benedict, saying both had also expressed the idea that God cannot be defined by human categories. He characterized his own delivery as potentially annoying, while maintaining that the underlying theological point was not controversial.
In an earlier statement quoted in the source, Talarico said God is masculine and feminine and “everything in between,” and cited Genesis 1:26, in which God speaks in the plural. The town hall exchange did not include a further discussion of that biblical passage.
The abortion question also referred to comments Talarico made during a 2025 appearance on “The Joe Rogan Experience.” He said then that the claim of a single Christian orthodoxy on abortion was not grounded in Scripture. The source does not provide additional detail about his arguments at that appearance, and his response at the town hall focused on the question of biblical authority and his earlier remarks about God.
The event was described as a one-on-one voter town hall modeled on the “Jubilee” format. The source reported that Fox News Digital contacted Talarico’s campaign for additional comment, but included no response from the campaign.
The exchange took place amid broader political disputes over Talarico’s religious views. The material supplied for this report includes references to other past controversies, but provides no further details that would establish their context or verify the claims in those references. This account therefore focuses on the statements and responses described in the town hall exchange.
