I guess it wasn’t a full 2 years ago after reviewing the dates in my case. Talarico had some emergent viral moments on the national stage when he and other Texas state lawmakers protested Republican redistricting efforts to skew House race outcomes (and what set off the reactionary response from California).

He threaded the needle flawlessly in resonating between AOC/Sanders/Mamdani-loving progressives, as well as more rural religious conservative given his packaged folksy charm. If I was to ever run for office, my platform and communication strategy would’ve always mirrored his approach (though maybe with a tad bit more El-Sayed bullishness sprinkled in appropriately). He frames wealth inequality and corruption within biblical context, which even though I’m not religious I respect utilizing the rhetoric for good.