What's the beef? Why the GOP is falsely claiming James Talarico is vegan

LUBBOCK, TX – Nothing is more quintessentially Texas than oil derricks, longhorn cattle and, of course, barbecue.  

So when James Talarico, the Democratic nominee in the highly contested Senate race in Texas, ordered potato, egg and cheese breakfast tacos during a visit to Taco Joint in Austin with President Barack Obama in early May, a chorus of critics chimed in with opinions about the Central Texas lawmaker's meatless meal – Republicans, political pundits, Texans and non-Texans alike. 

"Potato egg and cheese? Homie is not beating the vegetarian allegations," Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, a Republican, said on his campaign's X account.

As Texas’ closely-watched Senate race heats up, Talarico's opponent, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and his Republican allies, including President Donald Trump, are painting the Democrat as out of touch and too radical for the Lone Star state, especially in relation to a key industry in the state: beef. 

“He’s a vegan in Texas, and you can’t get elected as a vegan in Texas,” Trump told reporters on May 20. Paxton, during a May 26 victory speech after defeating Republican Sen. John Cornyn in a runoff, gave his Democratic opponent the nickname “Tofu Talarico” and again accused him of being vegan.

“It’s hard to imagine someone more radical than that,” Paxton said.

Talarico has denied that he’s a vegan. And he's also, clearly, not afraid of going head-to-head with Paxton, who in recent years has been both impeached by his colleagues in the legislature and indicted by his fellow Texas lawyers.

“I’m an eighth-generation Texan. I’ve been eating barbecue since before Ken Paxton’s first indictment. And if all they have on me is lying about me being a vegan, I feel pretty good about our chances this November,” Talarico said during an interview on May 26 with The MeidasTouch Podcast.

How did the vegan rumor get started?

For a long stretch – even before Talarico’s viral taco order earlier this month –  Republicans have recirculated remarks Talarico made in 2022 about meat consumption. 

While speaking to the Texas Human Legislative Network, a nonprofit that lobbies for animal welfare, in April 2022, Talarico said he was reducing his meat consumption as part of climate-related efforts.

“I am proud to say that our campaign has officially become a non-meat campaign,” he said at the time. “We are only buying vegan products from our local vegan businesses.”

Sen. Ted Cruz, a Republican, shared those remarks on X on March 17, saying, “WATCH: This freak wants to BAN BBQ. That’s not Texas.”

Cornyn also shared a clip of the remarks on March 17.

“Vote Republican this November. The steaks couldn’t be higher,” Cornyn wrote, in a knowing play on the word “stakes.”

That same month, Talarico’s campaign spokesman, JT Ennis, issued an official response to the vegan pronouncements on his boss' behalf, sharing a photo of Talarico taking a large bite of a massive turkey leg while wearing a button-down with a Texas flag design. Campaign videos and photos since then have shown him eating barbecue, chicken and steak during stops across the state.

If he had been watching his beef intake – the message seemed to be – he certainly wasn't any longer.

Why beef culture and agriculture matter in Texas

Some of Talarico's critics seemed to be ripping on his manhood, referencing his support for the LGBTQ+ community, along with the purportedly unmanly notion of having, at one time, eschewed meat.

Texas’ deep ties to cattle ranching, beef and agriculture mean comments about meat consumption likely carry more political weight here than in many other states.

Texas leads the nation in cattle production, with more than 12 million head of cattle and calves, according to the Texas Department of Agriculture. That accounts for roughly 15% of U.S. cattle production and more than double the herd population in Kansas and California, the states with the next-largest inventories, which each reported fewer than 6 million head in the latest census data.

The significance of beef here extends well beyond economics and cuisines, but historians often describe Texas’ barbecue culture as a reflection of the state’s layered immigration history – traditions brought by communities that shaped Texas over generations.

German and Czech immigrants who settled in Central Texas during the 1800s introduced meat-smoking and butcher shop traditions that later became foundational to what many now recognize as classic Texas barbecue, according to the Texas Historical Association. Mexican and Tejano traditions influenced barbacoa and slow-cooked meats across South Texas. African American pitmasters helped shape East Texas barbecue traditions, contributing techniques, flavors and restaurant traditions that spread throughout the state. In West Texas, ranching culture and open-flame cooking developed into what became known as “cowboy barbecue.”

Over time, those influences blended into a distinctly Texan food culture tied to family gatherings, church events, county fairs, football games, political campaigning and rural identity.

The prominence of beef in Texas has also created a subindustry that showcases and preserves it, which is reflected in film and broader cultural storytelling about the state. Texas Monthly and other publications have long employed dedicated barbecue writers who document pitmasters, smokehouses and regional traditions with the same seriousness often given to fine dining.

The 1956 epic “Giant,” featuring some of Hollywood’s biggest stars at the time – Elizabeth Taylor, Rock Hudson and James Dean – centered on a powerful Texas ranching family and helped cement cattle ranching in the state’s cultural imagination. Decades later, ranching remained a defining symbol of Texas identity through series such as “Dallas,” which debuted in 1978 and became a global television phenomenon. That legacy continues to echo in modern Western franchises, including the 2026 “Yellowstone” spinoff “Dutton Ranch,” following Beth Dutton and Rip Wheeler along their move to a ranch in South Texas.

Outside Hollywood, real-life ranching operations have also become cultural brands of their own. The King Ranch, spanning roughly 825,000 acres across South Texas and anchored in Kingsville, and the Four Sixes Ranch, covering about 266,000 acres and centered in Guthrie, are recognized far beyond the agricultural sphere, while events such as the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo and destinations like the Fort Worth Stockyards continue drawing millions through celebrations of Texas cattle ranching heritage.

Taken together, those cultural threads help explain why food – and especially meat – carries an outsized symbolic role in Texas politics, where the official state dish, adopted in 1977, is chili, defined by its significant meat base.

Breakfast tacos 101

On another essential Texas matter, Talarico’s meatless taco order reignited the rumors that the Democrat was committing a Texan faux pas.

Breakfast tacos have long been a Tex-Mex staple. From tacos you can get at gas station convenience stores like Stripes or Valeros, to mom-and-pop shops across the South and Central Texas region, the go-to meal can be found anywhere – and can consist of just about any breakfast combination. 

Egg, potato and cheese, Talarico’s order on that fateful May day in Austin, which is not a vegan meal because it contains animal products, is a common one that can often be found prominently on many restaurants' menus.

During a September 2025 interview with the Taco Policy podcast, Talarico noted that his usual go-to taco order is actually a bacon and egg taco on a flour tortilla – another common combination for breakfast taco connoisseurs.  

“I’m a big breakfast taco person, and so I ordered my favorite, which is bacon and egg on flour. It’s what fuels me back in Austin, and it’s what fueled me in San Antonio when I was a teacher, and now it’s fueling me on the campaign trail,” the Democrat said.

Or, at the least, it's fuel for further conversation in the lead-up to November.