James Talarico, Texas Democrats’ Senate nominee, immediately answered “Alyssa Edwards” when asked at a campaign event to name his favorite drag queen in Texas.
Alyssa Edwards is the stage name of Justin Dwayne Lee Johnson, who has publicly described himself as a drag performer working with children and has advocated youth drag shows.
The exchange renewed attacks tied to Talarico’s earlier LGBTQ comments and a 2021 “Taylor PRIDE” event he headlined where an 11-year-old performed in drag.
Talarico said last week he had “missed the mark” on some past gender remarks, while his campaign responded by mocking Republican rival Ken Paxton instead of addressing Edwards directly.