In Texas Senate race, Ken Paxton falsely claims James Talarico is a vegan

After clinching the Republican Senate nomination on May 26, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton targeted his Democratic opponent, saying James Talarico is too extreme for Texas. 

Paxton said Talarico is a vegan and a threat to the state famous for cattle, Tex-Mex and barbecue. Paxton called his opponent "the most extreme radical the Democrats have ever nominated." 

"He’s a vegan who thinks God is nonbinary and that there’s actually six biological sexes," Paxton said, also calling him "Tofu Talarico." 

President Donald Trump made a similar statement May 20, saying, "He’s a vegan. He’s a vegan in Texas, and you can’t get elected as a vegan in Texas." 

The attack is part of a broad Republican effort to portray Talarico as holding far-left social views and being out of step with Texas voters.

But the public evidence doesn’t back up the vegan claim. Talarico has denied being a vegan multiple times and has been recently pictured eating meat and other animal products during campaign events. 

"James is not and never has been a vegan or vegetarian," campaign spokesperson JT Ennis said in an email to PolitiFact. 

We asked Paxton’s campaign for information to support the claim that Talarico is a vegan, but we did not receive a response. 

Is Talarico a vegan?  

Vegans abstain from eating any animal products, including meat, poultry, seafood, dairy, eggs and honey. Vegans also often avoid using nonfood animal products, such as wool and leather. Veganism is generally motivated by animal welfare concerns, while some people follow vegan diets for health reasons. 

Talarico’s critics point to a 2022 speech during a fundraiser for the Texas Humane Legislation Network, a group that lobbies for humane animal treatment. At the time, Talarico was running for reelection to the Texas House of Representatives. 

During the speech, Talarico said reducing meat consumption is the "moral thing to do" and "necessary to fight climate change." 

"I am proud to say that our campaign has officially become a non-meat campaign, so we are only buying vegan products from our local vegan businesses," he said, adding, "Everyone has to take personal responsibility in this effort." 

Talarico didn’t say in the clip he is a vegan. 

More recently, Talarico has denied that he’s a vegan. In a March social media post, Talarico spokesperson JT Ennis posted a photo of Talarico biting into a turkey leg at the Texas State Fair as the campaign’s "official statement" on "vegan accusations." 

"I want to say this definitively, and categorically, that I deny all accusations of veganism," Talarico said in a March interview with The Bulwark’s Tim Miller. 

In a May 26 interview with the liberal group MeidasTouch, Talarico said he has "been eating barbecue since before Ken Paxton’s first indictment." 

Paxton was indicted once, by a state grand jury in 2015 on charges of securities fraud. He reached a 2024 agreement in which he admitted no wrongdoing, requiring him to pay $300,000 in restitution. In 2023, the Republican-led Texas House of Representatives impeached him on allegations of bribery and abuse of office. The Republican-led Senate acquitted him in a subsequent trial.   

In a May video, Talarico — joined by former President Barack Obama and Texas gubernatorial candidate Gina Hinojosa — ordered breakfast tacos with eggs, potatoes and cheese at Taco Joint in Austin. In a 2025 appearance on the Taco Policy podcast, Talarico said he ordered bacon and egg tacos and the combination is what fuels him on the campaign trail.

Another campaign video taken at San Antonio’s Fiesta restaurant and posted April 26 on X shows Talarico sampling chicken and steak. 

Our ruling

Paxton said Talarico "is a vegan." 

Talarico has been recently photographed eating meat and other animal products, showing that he is not a vegan. He also has denied being a vegan.

Talarico advocated in 2022 for reduced meat consumption to address climate change and said he was running a "non-meat campaign," but he did not say he was a vegan. 

We rate the claim False.