Andrew's Presbyterian Church in Austin, which has been attended by his Democratic Senate rival Rep. James Talarico, “harbors illegals” and that one of its ministers “says most members are atheist.” The allegation was made by Paxton in an X post on Monday. Talarico is currently polling ahead of Paxton just six weeks out from the midterm elections in what has traditionally been a Republican stronghold.
Democrats are hoping to seize control of the Senate in November, a move that would significantly constrain President Trump’s ability to get legislation passed in the final two years of his second term. In his post on X Paxton wrote: “James Talarico is lying to Texans. His ‘home’ church harbors illegals, hangs a trans flag over the cross, and a minister there says most members are atheist.
Andrew's Presbyterian Church as its “minister for welcome and inclusion.” In the video Johnson said “we don’t have a lot of people who are religious here” before adding: “We’ve stood up for LGBTQ+ rights forever and racial justice. And we have immigration stuff. We actually have a person living in our church who is from Venezuela.
Andrew's Presbyterian Church, the senate campaigns of Paxton and Talarico and the Austin Police Department for comment via telephone and email outside of regular office hours. During a 2023 guest sermon Talarico told worshippers at St. Andrew’s that he had been a member of the church since he was two years old.
Speaking to Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary the same year Talarico said St. Andrew's was “still the church I go to” adding it had “really shaped my worldview” as “my church always taught me that the love of Jesus Christ is both universal and radical. That’s how I got into politics.” The Reverand Jim Rigby, who according to The Texas Tribune is Talarico’s pastor at St.
Andrew's, was during the 1990s put on trial by the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) for ordaining gay clergy. According to the 2023-4 Pew Research Center religious landscape study 27 percent of Texan adults identify as evangelical Protestants, who break overwhelmingly for Republicans during elections. The study found that overall 67 percent of Texan adults identify as Christian while 26 percent are religiously unaffiliated.
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