Mark Teixeira Warns Texas Voters on Border Security as He Runs for the 21st District and Talarico Runs for Senate
Former major leaguer Mark Teixeira, the Republican nominee in Texas' 21st Congressional District, used a Newsmax appearance to argue that Democrat James Talarico would weaken border security — a claim Talarico's own past remarks, checked by PolitiFact, complicate.
Former MLB star Mark Teixeira, a Republican congressional candidate, is urging Republicans to remind Texas voters why they supported President Donald Trump, warning that Democratic Senate nominee James Talarico would weaken border security, KTSA reported Thursday in an item read in full by the Politics Desk this cycle.
Speaking Wednesday on Newsmax, Teixeira said concerns about illegal immigration helped Trump win Texas by 13 points in 2024, and argued that illegal crossings strain public safety and health care while allowing drugs into the state. He accused Talarico and progressive groups of supporting an open border, citing Talarico's previous remarks about putting a welcome mat at the southern border.
The same report carried the check on that citation: PolitiFact previously found that a campaign ad using the remark omitted Talarico's comparison to a lock on the door, and Talarico has described himself as a border-security Democrat. Talarico is challenging Republican Attorney General Ken Paxton for the U.S. Senate seat held by Sen. John Cornyn.
Teixeira played 14 seasons in Major League Baseball and is running for Texas' 21st Congressional District seat held by Rep. Chip Roy. He won the Republican primary with 60.9 percent of the vote and has Trump's endorsement. He faces Democrat Kristin Hook, a former National Institutes of Health scientist, in the Nov. 3 election. Early voting in Bexar County ends Friday, Oct. 30.
