Vice President JD Vance delivered pointed criticism of Democratic Senate candidate James Talarico during a Republican National Committee midterm convention speech in Dallas on Thursday.
Talarico, a Texas state lawmaker, is running against Republican Attorney General Ken Paxton in November to unseat incumbent GOP Sen. John Cornyn.
Vance mocked Talarico’s public statements on gender identity, drawing laughter and applause from the Republican crowd gathered in Dallas.
“But this Talarico guy, he will not shut up about how there are six genders,” Vance told the crowd.
Vance continued, saying, “He will not shut up about how, quote, ‘God is non-binary.’ I don’t know what the hell that even means, my friends.”
Republicans have repeatedly condemned Talarico’s criticism of Christian nationalism and his vote as a state legislator against a ban on transgender student athletes competing in girls’ sports.
Talarico addressed the transgender athlete issue directly in a Fox News interview on Wednesday, offering a conditional position on the contested topic.
“I support banning trans athletes from women’s and girls’ sports if it endangers safety or fairness,” Talarico said, adding, “Every sport has to be safe and fair.”
Beyond targeting Talarico, Vance used the convention platform to launch a broader assault on the Democratic Party, accusing it of abandoning its historical base.
“They’re the party that despises America and the people who built it,” Vance said, framing Democrats as having become “the party of hatred.”
Vance closed his remarks with a direct appeal to Republican voters, urging strong turnout in the upcoming midterm elections as the GOP works to defend its congressional majorities.
The Texas Senate race is shaping up as one of the more closely watched contests of the midterm cycle, with national figures already weighing in ahead of November.
