Two of the three North Texas women featured in a campaign video for state Rep. James Talarico (D-District 50) as “Republican moms” cast ballots in the 2026 Democratic primary, according to voting-history records reviewed by The Dallas Express.
The 67-second video, posted Monday by Talarico’s campaign, features three women seated around a table discussing their support for the Democratic Senate candidate. An interviewer asks, “You’ve been Republicans for most of your voting lives. Who’s voting for James Talarico?” All three women raise their hands.
The campaign’s social media caption identifies them as “Republican moms.”
The video does not identify the women or disclose their voting histories.
Voting Records Show Different Primary Histories
Records reviewed by The Dallas Express show that one of the women featured in the video participated in Republican primaries in 2016, 2018, 2020, 2022, and 2024, including the 2018 Republican runoff, before voting in the 2026 Democratic primary.
The record shows the voter selected a Democratic primary ballot on March 3, 2026. The record does not show which candidate the voter supported in that primary.
A second woman featured in the video also participated in the 2026 Democratic primary. The voting record reviewed by The Dallas Express shows Democratic primary participation in 2026 and general-election participation in 2018, 2020, 2022, and 2024. The record reviewed does not show a previous Republican primary ballot during the available period.
Neither voting record reveals whether either woman voted for Talarico over U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-Texas) in the Democratic primary.
Social Media Posts Raise Questions About the Video
Current Revolt founder Tony Ortiz posted screenshots Tuesday that he said showed voting histories belonging to two of the women featured in the advertisement.
“Ran the voting record for one of the ‘Republican’ women featured here and she’s already been voting in Democratic primaries this year,” Ortiz wrote in a post on X. “Seems disingenuous to call yourself Republican if you’ve already been voting Dem.”
Ran the voting record for one of the "Republican" women featured here and she's already been voting in Democratic primaries this year. Seems disingenuous to call yourself Republican if you've already been voting Dem. https://t.co/tXig58C1wm pic.twitter.com/7uJKmXOPSA
— Tony Ortiz (Current Revolt) (@CurrentRevolt) August 4, 2026
Ortiz later posted another record and wrote that the second woman had “only ever voted in Dem primary since at least 2017.”
The posts did not independently identify the women by name. The Dallas Express reviewed the voting-history information referenced in the posts but did not verify the identities of the individuals shown in the video through the campaign.
Texas Primary Voting Rules
Texas does not require voters to register by political party. A voter’s participation in a party primary creates a party affiliation for that calendar year, but the affiliation expires at the end of the year, according to the Texas Secretary of State.
The Secretary of State explains that voting in a party primary is one way a voter affiliates with that party for the year. A voter who participated in a party primary in a previous year is not required to vote in that party’s primary again because the affiliation does not carry over into a new calendar year.
Primary participation records are public information, but the candidates selected on a voter’s ballot are confidential. As a result, the records reviewed show which party’s primary ballot was selected but do not show whether the voters supported Talarico or another candidate.
The discrepancy between the campaign’s “Republican moms” description and the women’s documented 2026 Democratic primary participation has fueled criticism that the advertisement could be viewed as overstating Republican support for Talarico. The campaign has not disclosed how the women were selected or how their Republican backgrounds were confirmed.
Provided by Dallas Express
