Talarico Faces GOP Corruption Claims Over $5.2 Million in TEA Contracts
Updated
Updated · Fox News · Sep 17
Talarico Faces GOP Corruption Claims Over $5.2 Million in TEA Contracts
1 articles · Updated · Fox News · Sep 17
Summary
Republicans accused Texas Senate Democrat James Talarico of a "pay-to-play" conflict tied to consulting work for MAYA Consulting while he sat on the Texas House Public Education Committee from 2019 to 2025.
TEA records show the agency awarded MAYA contracts worth $3.578 million in 2021 and $1.635 million in 2022, while Talarico's 2025 disclosure reported $83,333.40 in income from the firm, now called VIDA Collaborative.
VIDA and Talarico's campaign said the work was fully disclosed, barred him from representing the firm before lawmakers or education agencies, and did not involve him in securing or being paid from public contracts.
The report also says Talarico did not vote on the contracts and that no evidence has surfaced that he received commissions or misused taxpayer funds, even as Paxton allies press the attack in a tight Senate race.
The clash sharpens a corruption-focused contest in Texas's final stretch, with Talarico leading recent polls while continuing to portray Republican nominee Ken Paxton as the state's most corrupt politician.