Ted Cruz Warns James Talarico Would Act Like Most Popular US Senator - Newsweek

Texas Senator Ted Cruz is escalating his warnings about Democratic Senate nominee James Talarico on his podcast, telling supporters that if elected, the 37‑year‑old would “be the most woke left‑wing senator the country has ever seen," and would model himself after Bernie Sanders. For years, Sanders has held the highest approval rating of any U.S. senator, according to Morning Consult’s national tracking.

Talarico is running against Texas Republican Attorney General Ken Paxton in Texas' U.S. Senate race.

Texas voters, national Democrats, and broadcast networks are all affected as the race becomes a flashpoint in a broader fight over media access, federal regulation, and the boundaries of political rhetoric, with new controversies emerging over FCC pressure on late‑night shows and violent heckling at the GOP midterm convention.

Cruz made the Sanders comparison during a lengthy critique of Talarico’s past statements, telling Verdict with Ted Cruz listeners that the state representative is attempting a strategic makeover: “Lie to the voters, then get in power,” Cruz said. “If God forbid this guy ever got elected, he would be Bernie Sanders, but 37 and young enough to do it for the next 40 years.”

Newsweek reached out to the Talarico and Paxton campaigns for comment.

For years, Sanders has ranked as America's most popular senator, consistently topping Morning Consult’s approval tracker with ratings often above 60 percent.

The Vermont independent's national profile is built on decades of activism, two presidential campaigns, and a legislative identity entrenched in democratic socialism. His policy agenda includes universal health care, tuition‑free college, aggressive climate action, and expanded labor rights, positions that have helped shift the Democratic Party leftward since 2016.

Sanders is both widely liked and ideologically defined, and by invoking him, Cruz is signaling that Talarico would not be a moderate Democrat but a generational progressive with staying power.

Sanders’ long record, from civil rights activism in Chicago to his leadership of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, provides a contrast Cruz wants voters to see. Sanders is 85; Talarico is 37.

Cruz argues that Texas could elect a senator with Sanders’ ideology but decades more runway to shape national politics.

Cruz told supporters he believes Talarico is attempting a political rebrand, softening or reversing past statements on gender, capitalism, and transgender policy. On his podcast, Cruz said he expects Talarico to lean even further into the transformation.

“I think next week, he may pull on a Make America Great Again red hat and start walking around being like, ‘I’m a Trump Republican, let’s go.’ He won’t quite do that. But that’s the theory — lie to the voters, then get in power," the senator said.

Cruz argues that Talarico’s recent interviews, including attempts to walk back comments about “six biological sexes,” how “God is nonbinary,” and dismantling capitalism, are evidence of political repositioning rather than genuine ideological change.

He also claims Talarico’s generational identity matters: unlike older Democrats who may have distanced themselves from pandemic‑era cultural debates, Cruz says Talarico “believes this nonsense” and would legislate accordingly.

The Talarico campaign is also colliding with an unprecedented media fight as late‑night host Jimmy Kimmel announced Wednesday that his interview with Talarico would not air on ABC, citing threats from the Federal Communications Commission, which he said pressured the network and its affiliates over equal‑time rules.

Kimmel said the FCC’s posture changed after President Donald Trump returned to the White House, describing the agency’s actions as retaliatory and unprecedented in his 20‑year career. The interview was posted on YouTube instead.

This follows a similar incident earlier this year, when Stephen Colbert said CBS lawyers blocked Talarico from appearing on The Late Show, forcing that interview to run online only.

ABC and Disney have since sued the FCC, accusing the agency of violating the First Amendment and targeting the network over editorial decisions. The FCC denies the allegations.

By casting Talarico as a young, ideologically committed progressive with Sanders's potential longevity, Cruz is reframing the Texas race as a national ideological battle rather than a local contest.

Texas voters are being asked to consider not only Talarico’s current positions but the long‑term implications of electing a senator who, Cruz argues, would become a generational force on the left.

Broadcast networks, meanwhile, are navigating new FCC scrutiny that is already reshaping how political interviews air, with Talarico at the center of the conflict; a Sanders‑style progressive winning statewide in Texas would represent a seismic shift in the country’s political map.

Contact Newsweek editors on this story: Jason Lemon and Sam Wilson.