Texas Democratic Senate nominee James Talarico posted a Halloween photo with his young niece on Saturday night. Some of President Donald Trump’s supporters responded with insinuations about him.
“Happy Halloween from Princess Jane and Uncle Jimmy!” Talarico wrote on X, alongside a photo of himself kneeling next to his niece, who was dressed as a princess and holding a trick-or-treat bag.
Conservative commentator Joey Mannarino replied: “I’d keep Princess Jane far away from you.”
Other replies from anonymous pro-Trump accounts made similar insinuations, and a few questioned Talarico’s sexuality.
Plenty of people pushed back. David Piper, a voice actor and marketing consultant, quote-posted the photo with a blunt assessment: “This comment section is why republicans lost Texas.”
Several replies defending Talarico came from people who said they disagree with his politics. One self-described Paxton supporter urged Talarico not to post photos of his niece, writing that “the jerks will say ugly stuff. Children should be off limits.”
Talarico, a state representative and former middle school teacher, is running against Republican Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton in one of the most closely watched Senate races in the country. Recent polling has shown the race is essentially tied.
Talarico has faced attacks on his sexual orientation throughout the campaign, including an AI-generated ad from Republicans that Democrats have called a smear. Mary Trump said in a recent interview that the attacks come with “basically no evidence whatsoever.”