Texas – Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is demanding an apology from Democratic U.S. Senate candidate James Talarico after a resurfaced video from a 2022 Texas House hearing showed Talarico describing some concerns over school curriculum as “conspiracy theory-driven” and “kooky stuff.”
“WATCH: James Talarico mocks Texas parents’ concerns about explicit materials in their kids’ schools by calling them ‘kooky’ conspiracy theories,” Paxton said in a post on X. “He owes every Texas parent an apology.”
The video Paxton shared shows Talarico, who was then serving in the Texas House, speaking during a July 2022 House Committee on Public Education hearing focused on curriculum and instructional materials in public schools.
Talarico began by discussing what he described as the large number of issues lawmakers would have to consider during the hearing.
“We’re going to spend hours hearing bills that are just kind of conspiracy theory-driven and kind of kooky stuff,” Talarico said, according to the video. He added that he expected some of that discussion to come from public testimony.
Talarico then turned his questions toward Texas Education Agency Commissioner Mike Morath and raised several issues that had become part of the growing national debate over what students were being exposed to in public schools.
“I want to ask you about curriculum in Texas, of course, critical race theory, pornography; these are the things that we’re seeing bubbling up on social media and that’s going to be discussed here,” Talarico said.
He asked Morath whether he was aware of Texas curriculum that bullied students based on race or “grooms students with pornography.”
Morath responded that he was aware of complaints involving instructional materials and acknowledged that some materials reviewed by the agency had been inappropriate. Fox News reported that Morath told Talarico, “The answer is yes,” before explaining that the agency had received complaints that appeared to substantiate periodic problems involving instructional materials.
Morath also cautioned that Texas is a large state and said he could not characterize the issue as widespread. He nevertheless said the agency had reviewed materials made available to students that he believed an ordinary member of the public would consider inappropriate. Talarico subsequently described the broader argument that such problems represented systemic policy issues as a “conspiracy theory.”
“I would characterize as a conspiracy theory that’s being raised is that these are systemic policy problems in the state of Texas,” Talarico said, according to the resurfaced footage and reports about the hearing.
The exchange has resurfaced during Talarico’s campaign for the U.S. Senate, giving Republicans another opportunity to highlight his previous statements on education and school materials, FOX News reported.
Fox News reported that the clip was recently resurfaced as Talarico campaigns for the Senate and that his campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment about the remarks.
The controversy dates back to a broader fight over school books and curriculum that was already underway in Texas in 2022.
The Texas Legislature had been examining state policies surrounding curriculum and instructional materials after then-House Speaker Dade Phelan issued an interim charge directing lawmakers to monitor and analyze those policies. Talarico was a member of the House Public Education Committee at the time.
Concerns over potentially inappropriate books and instructional materials had also prompted reviews in school districts around the state. Fox News reported that the Granbury Independent School District removed 130 titles from its shelves in January 2022 amid the broader controversy.
Texas Scorecard also reported on the 2022 hearing shortly after it occurred, noting that Talarico characterized the issue as “kooky” and “right-driven,” while Morath acknowledged that the Texas Education Agency had received complaints involving problematic instructional materials. The exchange also included testimony from parents who were concerned about the materials being discussed. According to reports on the resurfaced video, one parent directly referenced Talarico’s use of the word “kooky” while addressing the committee.
“I actually drove in last night, so I’ve been here a very long time. And hopefully my comments and testimony today aren’t gonna be as ‘kooky’ as Representative Talarico had stated it was gonna be,” the parent said. The issue has now returned to the center of the Texas Senate race as Paxton and Talarico continue attacking each other over their records and past statements. Talarico has faced a series of renewed attacks from Republicans over comments he made while serving in the Texas House, particularly on education, transgender issues and other cultural issues. The resurfacing of the 2022 hearing adds another example to that campaign debate.
The timing is also significant because Talarico has recently sought to emphasize his current positions on several issues while Republicans have focused heavily on his legislative record and previous statements. Paxton’s latest post specifically connects Talarico’s past remarks to concerns raised by Texas parents over explicit materials in schools and argues that Talarico owes those parents an apology.
The underlying 2022 exchange, however, shows a more specific context than the shortened description in Paxton’s post. Talarico was discussing what he described as “conspiracy theory-driven” and “kooky” bills and then asked Morath about claims involving critical race theory and pornography in school curriculum. Morath acknowledged that the state had received complaints and had reviewed some materials he considered inappropriate, while also saying he could not characterize the problem as widespread.
The resurfaced video has nevertheless become another flashpoint in the Senate campaign, with Paxton using Talarico’s own words from the 2022 hearing to argue that his Democratic opponent dismissed concerns from Texas parents.
As the campaign continues, the dispute over Talarico’s past comments is adding another layer to an already contentious race in which both candidates are attempting to define each other for Texas voters.
