James Talarico Responds With ‘Love’ To Hegseth Pastor’s Criticism
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James Talarico, the Democratic nominee for Senate in Texas, said, “You may pray for my death, Pastor, but I still love you.” The pastor said he was calling for Mr. Talarico’s religious conversion.
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Advertisement SKIP ADVERTISEMENT Supported by SKIP ADVERTISEMENT A Pastor Called for a Democrat to Be ‘Crucified With Christ.’ Was It a Threat? James Talarico, the Democratic nominee for Senate in Texas, said, “You may pray for my death, Pastor, but I still love you.” The pastor said he was calling for Mr. Talarico’s religious conversion. Listen · 5:16 min Share full article By Tim Balk and Elizabeth Dias March 25, 2026 Updated 6:08 p.m. ET James Talarico, the Democratic nominee for Senate in Texas, responded on Wednesday to a pastor who had suggested he should be “crucified with Christ” as part of a conversion, saying in a statement, “I love you more than you could ever hate me.” The pastor, Brooks Potteiger of the Pilgrim Hill Reformed Fellowship in Goodlettsville, Tenn., whose parishioners have included Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, made the comment during a podcast episode released last week, evoking a biblical figure who had one of the most famous conversions to Christianity. Responding to the remark, Mr. Talarico, a Presbyterian seminarian, emphasized compassion, a core theme of his campaign, and suggested that Mr. Potteiger was praying he would die. Mr. Potteiger and a representative for Mr. Hegseth said the pastor’s words were being twisted. Mr. Potteiger said he had not called for Mr. Talarico’s death, but rather called for him to have a religious conversion. The back and forth underscored how disputes over Christianity, charged by partisanship, have moved to the center of one of the year’s marquee elections. “Jesus loves,” Mr. Talarico, a progressive state lawmaker who has put his faith at the center of his political campaign, said in the statement . “Christian Nationalism kills. You may pray for my death, Pastor, but I still love you.” During an episode of the podcast, “Reformation Red Pill,” Mr. Potteiger said he hoped Mr. Talarico would have a conversion like that of Saul of Tarsus, a biblical figure who persecuted Christians before undergoing a conve...
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