James Talarico Faces Backlash Over Lucrative Ties To Firm Promoting DEI In Schools

Now that he’s past the primary and sees the need to appeal to independent and even GOP voters across Texas, US Senate candidate James Talarico is trying to shed some of his prior far-left words and deeds. 

But there’s plenty in his background for political rivals to dig up, and one glaring example involves his work with a group called MAYA Consulting.

The Washington Free Beacon provided these details:

Talarico first announced he was joining MAYA, which has since rebranded as VIDA Collaborative, in 2019, writing in a Facebook postthat he would be “working with districts, nonprofits, and communities to build excellent and equitable educational opportunities.” Talarico worked for the firm until October 2025—one month after he launched his Senate campaign—and earned $83,333.40 from the job last year, according to his financial disclosure.

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MAYA, with Talarico’s help, worked to bring critical race theory and DEI to Texas schools, particularly during the height of the Black Lives Matter movement in 2020, when it partnered with public school districts like Snyder Independent School District in West Texas to support “diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts.” In Austin, where Talarico lives, it promoted a series of monthly “RaceTalks” organized by the local public school district’s “Race Equity Council” that called on parents to “explore” their “pushback and triggers and name systemic barriers that form as a result.” The firm also contributed $5,000 to the left-wing nonprofit Austin Justice Coalition around the same time the coalition called to defund the Austin Police Department.

“Our team at MAYA Consulting works to achieve excellent and equitable schools … We believe that our partnership with clients seeks to address the systemic challenges of this moment,” the firm’s founder, Larkin Tackett, wrote in a June 2020 blog post announcing the donation.

“Nevertheless, as a white, cisgender, straight man, I benefit from and perpetuate white supremacy culture with our clients and partners, and within our own organization,” he continued. “As the invaluable Dismantling Racism Workbook points out, ‘the longer you swim in the (white supremacy) culture, the more invisible it becomes.’ I’ve been swimming in this culture for 41 years. I recognize these faults within myself and that change begins with me.” Tackett went on to say he was implementing mandatory “DEI” and “anti-racism” training for “all MAYA team members,” which would have included Talarico.

Talarico’s work for MAYA could undercut his attempts to distance himself from the far-left positions he took while working for the firm and serving in the Texas Legislature. Talarico, for example, said in 2019 that putting police officers in schools amounts to “leaning into a culture of violence” but now says he “opposes defunding the police.” He also walked back a controversial comment in which he said, “God is non-binary,” telling CBS News that the statement was “cringey” and “missed the mark” before pivoting to his “legislative record.”

Talarico’s ongoing effort to rewrite his own personal history has fueled significant social media criticism:

This question is carefully worded to let Talarico avoid his voting record that's very clearly defending puberty blockers and hormones for dysphoric kids https://t.co/l4AgsxTy04

— Breitbart News (@BreitbartNews) June 8, 2026

Oh, sure… pic.twitter.com/7bO8bmlUDU

— Chris Musselman (@TakeRightTurn) June 8, 2026

If you buy this sudden change, I have a bridge to sell you.

— Derek (Recovering 🧀 Addict) 🇺🇲 (@DerekM121) June 8, 2026

Additionally, Fox News pointed out his attempts to manufacture previous criticism of the Biden administration’s disastrous open-borders policy:

“I called out Joe Biden for failing to secure our southern border and I got a lot of heat from my own party for doing that,” he told podcaster and attorney Dan Cogdell. “But I remember talking with my colleagues in the legislature who represent border communities and they told me about the utter chaos caused by President Biden’s policies.”

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Those calls and his more moderate immigration stance emerged only after Talarico launched his Senate bid in the most populated U.S. red state where the most illegal immigration happens.

When asked repeatedly by Fox News Digital, Talarico’s campaign officials could not produce evidence to support the progressive candidate’s claims he was ever at odds with Biden on the issue of border security before his Senate campaign began and while Biden was still in office.

Millions of illegal aliens poured undetected into the United States during the previous presidency, while Talarico occupied his seat in the Texas House legislature.

Talarico said in the podcast: “The Democratic Party, we’re the ones that should be about making government work for people and our immigration system is a prime example of government not working for people. So I’m a border security Democrat. I believe we’ve gotta have a sane, orderly process to ensure that we know who’s coming into our country.”

Here’s some additional commentary on Talarico’s identity crisis: