James Talarico Is the Rare Political Figure Who Is Running for Office Single

After Stephen Colbert announced on Feb. 16 that CBS had advised him against airing an interview with Texas Senate candidate James Talarico, Talarico himself got a little extra dose of media attention. Talarico has not even won his primary at this point, but he's already seen as one potential way that Democrats can appeal to more religious voters.

Talarico is himself a devout Christian, and he's made his faith an open part of the way that he campaigns. Given all of that, many wanted to know whether Talarico himself is married. Here's what we know.

James Talarico is not married, and he's currently 36. Before serving in the Texas State House of Representatives, he was a school teacher in San Antonio. Now, as he's trying to establish a national profile for himself, he is seen as somewhat unusual precisely because he is not in a relationship. Most political figures are married or dating someone, although that's less true in the Democratic Party than it is in the Republican Party.

James, who is also a seminarian, has made his religious beliefs central to his campaign and has also offered thoughts about marriage while on the campaign trail. "The Bible is all over the place when it comes to marriage," he explained during an interview with Ezra Klein. "Paul tells us not to get married, and you certainly see many different kinds of marriages throughout scripture.”

Marriage has traditionally been seen as virtuous by those on the right, in part because of the way it creates stability for children and can arguably encourage a certain kind of morality. Talarico's argument, though, is that those on the right should not be restrictive about what kinds of marriage are allowable and which are not, suggesting that he has biblical support for his argument that many kinds of marriage are permissible.

We don't know whether Talarico is in a relationship or dating anyone. Understandably, his social media profiles are focused almost entirely on his campaign, and while they have occasionally featured his niece and his parents, he has never posted any content about a romantic relationship. If he does eventually get married, it seems like he'll keep that relationship relatively quiet until he's ready to share more about it.

For now, though, James is focused on his race to be a senator. Texas has long been one of the places Democrats hoped to break through, and winning in that state would fundamentally change the math of both the Senate and the electoral college. Thus far, they haven't been able to actually win a statewide race, although they have come tantalizingly close in the past.

Talarico is definitely facing an uphill battle, but there are some who think that, because of his Christianity, he could be exactly the right candidate for this moment. In 2026, it doesn't seem possible that the fact that he's not married could hurt him substantially, but you never know what can prove to be your Achilles heel.