Texas Democrats voiced their support for U.S. Senate candidate and state Rep. James Talarico at their state convention by declaring “we’re all going to Hell” in solidarity with Talarico over some of his unorthodox views on the Christian faith.

More than 5,000 Democrats gathered from across the Lone Star State between June 25–27 for the Texas Democratic Party’s 2026 State Convention in Corpus Christi to hear speakers including U.S. Senator Cory Booker, D-N.J., Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker, Texas gubernatorial nominee Gina Hinojosa, and Talarico, who is set to face Republican Attorney General Ken Paxton for the Senate seat in November.

The multi-day event brought together Democratic activists, elected officials and candidates all vying for increased visibility ahead of the midterm election, including Benjamin Flores, the Democratic nominee for Land Commissioner, who called on party members to support Talarico, who remains in a statistical tie with Paxton.

A now-viral clip showed Flores calling on Democrats to stand up for Talarico, whom Republicans have taunted for his "love" for “trans children” and other comments aligning himself with LGBT ideology.

“They say that James is trans, we’re all trans. When they say James is a gay, tofu-eating vegan, we’re all gay, tofu-eating vegans,” he said. “And when they say James is going to Hell, we’ll say we’re all going to Hell.”

Last month, White House senior advisor Stephen Miller referred to Talarico as the Democrats' “first transgender Senate candidate” during a Fox News segment.

Talarico does not publicly identify as transgender or gay, and identifies as heterosexual.

A former school teacher and current state lawmaker and Presbyterian seminarian, Talarico defeated Rep. Jasmine Crockett in the March 3 Democratic primary in the race for the seat currently held by Republican Sen. John Cornyn.

Known for making controversial statements about human sexuality, including that God is “nonbinary” and that “sex is a nuanced spectrum, not a strict binary,” Talarcio last month walked back many of his previous comments.

In a recent interview with CBS News, Talarico acknowledged the reality of two distinct, biological sexes.

“I know there are two sexes, men and women,” he said. “I also know there's a very small percentage of people who have these chromosomal abnormalities, and I believe they deserve to be treated with dignity and respect.”

When asked whether he regretted making such comments, Talarico said, “There are some statements that I've made that I certainly regret. There are statements that I've made where I've missed the mark. I'll be the first to admit that.”