Democratic darling and Texas Senate candidate James Talarico was criticized after it was discovered that while he was a public school teacher in San Antonio, he had sixth graders write “Obama Memoirs” to celebrate his election.
Corey DeAngelis, a school choice advocate and a fellow at the Heritage Foundation, called the mandate “disqualifying” for Texas Senate candidates.
Talarico announced in a Facebook post on November 13, 2012, “Today we finished the Obama Memoirs,” explaining that “students wrote an election night memoir from the perspective of an Obama family member.”
A memoir Talarico shared revealed that one of his students wrote like a child of former President Barack Obama, saying “I cried when my dad gave his speech” and praising the “lovely words that came out of his mouth” during his election night speech.
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Texas Senate Democratic candidate James Talarico was criticized for giving his sixth-grade students an “Obama Memoirs” assignment in 2012.
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Democrats have high hopes that progressive state Rep. Talarico will flip a key Senate seat blue and become the first Democratic senator from Texas in decades. However, since winning the party’s nomination, many have criticized his progressive rhetoric, including saying “God is not dualistic” and using the Bible to justify abortion.
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In another Facebook post on November 16, 2012, Talarico shared an image of a poster board covered with Obama’s memoirs, with a banner reading “Mr. Talarico’s Wall of Fame.” The exhibit features more than a dozen memoirs, photos of Obama and his family, presidential seals and Obama campaign badges. Talarico commented: “Our Wall of Fame has been updated with our wonderful Obama family memoir!”
Obama’s memoir wasn’t the only post on the Talarico teacher’s account to receive criticism. Some also took issue with a Sept. 14, 2011 post depicting a “free thinker” display in the classroom. Figures labeled as freethinkers include Obama, Bill Gates, Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor and Housing and Urban Development Secretary Julián Castro.
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Texas Democratic Senate candidate Rep. James Talarico, D-Austin, waves before speaking on Wednesday, March 4, 2026, for the first time since winning the Democratic nomination in Austin.
Other figures in the exhibition include Ludwig van Beethoven, Frida Kahlo and Jay-Z. “Harry Potter” author JK Rowling is also included. However, none of the Republican or conservative leaders were included.
Some also criticized Talarico’s Sept. 4, 2012, post in which he encouraged students to watch the Democratic National Convention to watch former San Antonio Mayor Castro’s keynote address.
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Conservative commentator Steve Guest slammed Talarico for this, writing on X: “What Talarico does as an ‘educator.'”
The National Republican Senatorial Committee also chimed in, “What else is James Talarico saying to Texas kids in class when he asks his public school students to write ‘Obama Memoirs’ and encourages them to watch the Democratic National Committee?”
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and his nemesis, Texas Republican Sen. John Cornyn, are heading to runoff elections in Texas, further extending their bloody primary battle to the end of May.
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A Talarico spokesperson responded to conservative criticism in a statement to Fox News Digital.
“John Cornyn, Ken Paxton and the billionaires who support them have good reason to fear James Talarico: Our campaign is building a movement poised to change the politics of this state and take back power for working people,” said Press Secretary JT Ennis. “While they spend their time launching stale attacks to mislead Texans, we are uniting Texans to win in November.”
This November, Talarico will face off against Texas Republican Sen. John Cornyn or state Attorney General Ken Paxton. Cornyn and Paxton are currently locked in a tight primary runoff that will culminate this May.
Original source of the article: Democratic darling Talarico calls for public sixth-graders to write ‘Obama memoirs’
