Are Texas Democrats setting up for a contentious U.S. Senate primary? | Texas: The Issue is:

The Democratic Senate primary | Texas: The Issue is

State Rep. James Talarico joins the Texas Trio's Rudy Koski to talk about his decision to enter the Democratic primary for U.S. Senate.

Texas Democrats appear to be setting up for a contentious primary season, particulary when it comes to who will represent the party in the U.S. Senate race.

It's a battle that could determine if Democrats will make a move toward the middle or will continue on its hard left progressive path.

FOX 7's Rudy Koski sat down with recently announced Senate candidate and state Rep. James Talarico about his decision to enter the race.

Talarico enters Senate primary race

James Talarico: I firmly believe that all 30 million Texans deserve a U.S. Senator who's going to represent their interests and not the interests of billionaire mega donors.

FOX 7's Rudy Koski: Why do you think you're the guy that can clean it up?

Talarico: This has been the fight I've been engaged in at the state capitol for four terms now, and I'm ready to take that fight to our nation's capitol.

On entering race instead of supporting Colin Allred

Koski: Why not support Colin Allred? He's already got name recognition out there. What's wrong with him? And why not just back him?

Talarico: Well, I like Colin Allred a whole lot, and I was probably his most active surrogate in the last election. I'm not running against Colin or any other candidate. I am putting forward my track record, my experience, my skills, my values, my vision to the people of this state.

Koski: You are running against Colin Allred. What do you tell his supporters? Why come to your tent?

Talarico: So I'm gonna be barnstorming this entire state, showing the kind of campaigner that I am. I originally got elected to the state house by flipping a Trump district that no one thought was winnable. They thought it was a lost cause, but I ran an aggressive, unconventional campaign that brought people together.

Is Talarico too far left for moderate voters?

Koski: Terry Virts, who's running against you for the nomination, posted on social media that your voting record disqualifies you, you're too far left, you can't bring in the moderate voters. How do you respond to that? [00:02:05][12.3]

Talarico: Well, again, I'm not interested in tearing down fellow Democrats, but my record speaks for itself.

Koski: What do you say to the voters who think that you're too extreme on issues like marijuana, like gender issues in regard to sex change procedures, bathroom bills, things like that? What do you say to those voters?

Talarico: Well, I think if they actually look at my record, they're gonna see a lot they agree with, even on some of these controversial topics. I'm not someone who likes to grandstand. I'm someone who likes to ignore the nuances of these issues. I'm somebody who digs into the details and tries to solve problems. We can either play politics or we can solve problems and I always try to choose the latter, even when it comes to some more controversial topics.

On the issues

Koski: Are you going to make this campaign more about Washington, D.C. And Trump, or do you think that rank and file Texans want to hear bread and butter issues, you know, tabletop issues, things like that?

Talarico: Yeah, the whole reason I'm in politics is to make my neighbor's lives easier on a whole host of issues that we've already touched on, healthcare, education, housing, the cost of living. That's why I'm this. I'm not interested in talking about Donald Trump or any other politician.

Koski: You fought against the school choice plans, the voucher plan, whatever we want to call it. Why not pick a different state race? Why not go for Comptroller, where you could be the gatekeeper for this new school choice plan? Why not small instead of trying to do a Hail Mary?

Talarico: I like being bold and brave. I think that's the Texas way. And so this fight is national and it's why I wanna take what I've learned here in Texas at the state capital. And I wanna take that on behalf of Texans to our nation's capital in Washington, D.C. 

On potentially working with Ted Cruz in the Senate

Koski: If you do become the new Texas junior senator, how do you work with the current Texas junior senator, Ted Cruz?

Talarico: Ted Cruz and I disagree on a whole host of issues. We have deep disagreements on many fronts, but there's also areas where we agree. And I look forward to working with him if I'm elected to this position. I don't think Texans want their leaders to act like professional wrestlers. They want their leader to seriously find common ground and work out policies that can make their lives better.