James Talarico arrived in the Texas House in 2019 and passed 39 bills with Republican support. While he later became a vocal progressive fighter, he now emphasizes his bipartisan record for his U.S. Senate campaign. "I worked with both Republicans and Democrats who wanted to get things done for Texans."

James Talarico's record in the Texas Legislature has been a tale of two Talaricos.

There's the Talarico who flipped a competitive state house district around Austin and arrived in the Capitol in 2019 as a 29-year-old, a Democrat preaching bipartisan cooperation. There, he accomplished things by working with Republicans, including 39 bills that became law with his name on them.

Then there's the Talarico who was a vocal progressive fighter, especially after Republicans redrew his district lines, pushing him to run in a liberal Austin area. Voters there cheered as he fought unsuccessfully against religion in public schools and in favor of transgender rights.

The first Talarico earned accolades even from some of his Republican colleagues in the Legislature they dominate. The second, which helped catapult him into the national spotlight, is being used against him in his run for U.S. Senate.

Mr. Talarico has tried to balance his two political identities throughout his four terms in the Texas House, according to a New York Times review of his record and interviews with more than a dozen current and former legislators. Even as he worked against partisan bills pushed by the Legislature's conservative majority, the review found his ability to work with Republicans to pass laws stayed largely consistent.

In his Senate campaign this year, Mr. Talarico has emphasized the bipartisan side of his record. Seeking to prevail in a state that President Trump won by nearly 14 points in 2024, he has toned down his criticism of Republicans and distanced himself from some past remarks, saying they "missed the mark" or were "cringe-y."

His campaign literature no longer refers to him as a progressive.

"I worked with both Republicans and Democrats who wanted to get things done for Texans," Mr. Talarico said in a statement. His campaign provided written answers but did not make him available for an interview.

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