James Talarico’s Church Under Scrutiny - Newsweek

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has said St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church in Austin, which has been attended by his Democratic Senate rival Rep. James Talarico, “harbors illegals” and that one of its ministers “says most members are atheist.”

The allegation was made by Paxton in an X post on Monday.

Talarico is currently polling ahead of Paxton just six weeks out from the midterm elections in what has traditionally been a Republican stronghold.

Democrats are hoping to seize control of the Senate in November, a move that would significantly constrain President Trump’s ability to get legislation passed in the final two years of his second term.

In his post on X Paxton wrote: “James Talarico is lying to Texans. His ‘home’ church harbors illegals, hangs a trans flag over the cross, and a minister there says most members are atheist.

“Talarico can try to rebrand himself, but Texans deserve to know the truth.”

He also shared an undercover video recorded by Texas Scorecard, a conservative leaning advocacy group, of Reverend Carol Johnson, described by St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church as its “minister for welcome and inclusion.”

In the video Johnson said “we don’t have a lot of people who are religious here” before adding: “We’ve stood up for LGBTQ+ rights forever and racial justice. And we have immigration stuff. We actually have a person living in our church who is from Venezuela. No, Guatemala.

“And he has worked here for eight years so we are a sanctuary church.”

Newsweek contacted St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church, the senate campaigns of Paxton and Talarico and the Austin Police Department for comment via telephone and email outside of regular office hours.

During a 2023 guest sermon Talarico told worshippers at St. Andrew’s that he had been a member of the church since he was two years old. Speaking to Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary the same year Talarico said St. Andrew's was “still the church I go to” adding it had “really shaped my worldview” as “my church always taught me that the love of Jesus Christ is both universal and radical. That’s how I got into politics.”

The Reverand Jim Rigby, who according to The Texas Tribune is Talarico’s pastor at St. Andrew's, was during the 1990s put on trial by the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) for ordaining gay clergy.

According to the 2023-4 Pew Research Center religious landscape study 27 percent of Texan adults identify as evangelical Protestants, who break overwhelmingly for Republicans during elections.

The study found that overall 67 percent of Texan adults identify as Christian while 26 percent are religiously unaffiliated.

Talarico has a track record of presenting his progressive politics in Christian terms. In a 2021 Texas House speech during a debate in transgender participation in girls' sports he said “God is nonbinary” adding: “God is both Masculine and feminine, and everything in between.”

Speaking at St. Andrew’s Church in 2022 Talarico described Jesus as a “radical feminist” while during a 2025 appearance on Joe Rogan’s podcast he argued that the Annunciation in Luke shows consent is needed in creation, thus justifying abortion.

During a 2021 appearance on the Active Theology podcast Talarico was asked about how you can “live a generative, imaginative life.” He responded “I always think of myself as a Christian who hates Christianity, right” adding “And, like, I always get drawn back into it because nowhere else, in no other political philosophy, in no other economic theory, do I find anything as truly radical or revolutionary as the teachings of that barefoot rabbi.”

Earlier this month Paxton shared an AI generated clip of Talarico describing himself as “a Christian who hates Christianity” on his official X account though without his follow up remarks.

In recent weeks St. Andrew's has been targeted twice with the release of secretly recorded conversations by conservative leaning organizations.

On Monday, Texas Scorecard released the secret recording of Johnson, a little under two weeks after Townhall.com published a recording of Reverend Babs Miller who said: “If you polled our membership and ask them whether they were Christian, agnostic or atheist the vast majority would say agnostic or atheist.”

In the hidden camera footage, dated August 20, Miller also said: “We still have people in this church that wish that young man had not just nicked his ear, but been more successful.” Townhall.com interpreted this as a remark about the attempted assassination of Donald Trump at a campaign rally in July 2024, during which a bullet left his bleeding from one ear.

Last week it emerged Talarico was leading Paxton in eight different polls, produced by every major pollster covering the race, for the first time with an Emerson College survey conducted between September 12 and 14 putting him one point ahead with 47 percent support to Paxton’s 46 percent.

Kalshi, a prediction market, now gives Talarico a 59 percent chance of winning the Senate race against 41 percent for Paxton. Polymarket, another prediction market, gives the Democrat a 62 percent chance of winning versus just 39 percent for Paxton.

Paxton received another $5 million in campaign funds from MAGA Inc., the main Trump’s supporting political action committee, on Saturday, according to Federal Election Commission filings.

Currently there are 53 Republican senators versus 47 who caucus with the Democrats.

On Monday, former President George W. Bush and Texas Senator John Cornyn were scheduled to attend a fundraising dinner for Republican Senate candidates, hosted by campaign group Maintain the Majority, according to The New York Times.

According to an invite for the event it was intended to raise money to support four sitting GOP Senators; Susan Collins of Maine, Jon Husted of Ohio, Dan Sullivan of Alaska and Ashley Hinson of Iowa, along with Republican candidates John Sununu in New Hampshire and Mike Rogers in Michigan.

Notably however Ken Paxton, the Texas attorney general and Senate candidate, wasn’t included on the list. Trump endorsed Paxton, who defeated Cornyn in a bitter Republican run-off primary in May.

Newsweek contacted Paxton’s Senate campaign along with the offices of Bush and Cornyn for comment by email.

Contact Newsweek editor on this story: Edward Pearcey.