Democrat U.S. Senate candidate James Talarico said Islamic mystics influenced his faith as much as Christian authors.
The remarks, made during an April 2024 appearance on The State of Belief podcast alongside Democrat State Rep. Salman Bhojani of Euless, have resurfaced in a new report from The Daily Wire as Talarico continues to emphasize his Christian faith on the campaign trail.
In the interview, Talarico said his spiritual life had been shaped by writers outside the Christian tradition.
“I know personally that I’ve learned as much about my faith from Salman’s tradition, from the Islamic mystics, from poets like Rumi, as much as I have from Christian authors and Christian writers,” said Talarico.
The conversation also focused on religious pluralism.
Talarico praised Bhojani’s election to the Texas House as the “true fruition of multi-racial, multicultural, multi-religious democracy,” criticized what he called “a sectarian exclusive Christian nationalist vision for our country,” and argued that requiring the Ten Commandments to be displayed in public school classrooms is “deeply unchristian.”
The interview took place while Talarico’s current girlfriend, Brianna Menard—who previously served on his staff—was working for Bhojani.
The comments add to a series of past statements and associations that have drawn attention as Talarico has made faith a central theme of his Senate campaign.
Talarico has previously described himself as “a Christian who hates Christianity,” referred to God as “nonbinary,” and characterized Jesus as a “radical feminist.”
Questions have also been raised about St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church in Austin, where Talarico both attends and preaches.
The church’s online library catalog includes books that have sparked controversy in Texas public schools over sexually explicit content, including “Gender Queer,” “All Boys Aren’t Blue,” “This Book Is Gay,” and “Me and Earl and the Dying Girl.”
A request for comment sent to Talarico’s campaign was not returned before publication.
