Report: James Talarico Filmed Driving Rental Truck in 'Real Texan' Campaign Ad

A campaign ad selling James Talarico as a working-class Texan features the Democrat behind the wheel of a Dodge Ram 1500 that traces back to an Enterprise rental lot, according to a report published Wednesday. Semafor’s David Weigel reported the detail. The plate is visible on screen. Talarico usually drives a Chevy Colorado. The midsize pickup has turned up in his other ads and in profiles of the candidate. The Ram 1500 he drives in the ad is a full-size model. The ad, titled “Waking Up,” opens on Texans rising before dawn and casts Talarico as one of them. He talks about being raised by a single mother “guided by faith,” his years as a teacher, and his work in the state House to lower drug costs and cut property taxes. “I’ll take on corruption and make this economy work for working people again,” Talarico says in the ad. Weigel asked whether the candidate’s car was in the shop. He said he did not hear back. Politico’s Adam Wren posted a photo of what he identified as “The Talarico Colorado,” backing up the account of the candidate’s usual vehicle. One widely followed account wrote that Talarico “rented a truck from Enterprise for his ad to look like a real Texan.” A Texas political action committee asked why the candidate was “dodging questions about the rental truck.” Talarico beat Rep. Jasmine Crockett in the March primary to win the Democrat nomination. He now leads Republican Ken Paxton in the Texas Senate race. A Texas Public Opinion Research survey put him ahead 45 percent to 40 percent, with a nine-point edge among non-college-educated voters. Critics have flagged a gap between how he presents himself and how he votes.