A New York Times investigation has cast doubt on a prominent anecdote from James Talarico’s teaching career, adding to questions surrounding the Texas Democrat’s carefully repeated stories about his time in the classroom.
Texas Democratic Senate candidate James Talarico is facing renewed scrutiny after state education records reportedly contradicted a central detail of one of his most frequently repeated campaign stories. The controversy comes as the former middle school teacher seeks to unseat Republican Ken Paxton in a closely watched Senate race.
The dispute centers on Talarico’s claim that he once taught 45 students in a single classroom, leaving some children without desks and forcing them to sit on an air-conditioning unit. He has used the story to criticize the state’s education system and argue that Republican policies have failed Texas students.
However, according to a report from The New York Times, Texas Education Agency records indicate that no class period assigned to Talarico exceeded 30 students.
