Texas Democrat James Talarico admits God-is-nonbinary remarks were 'provocative' after Christian voter confronts him at CNN town hall

Texas Democratic Senate candidate James Talarico backtracked on his claim that God is nonbinary at a CNN town hall Wednesday, telling a Christian small business owner the remarks were "provocative" and that he wants to "come clean." Challenged face-to-face by Sarah Gardner, who cited the comments as undermining his faith's authenticity, Talarico insisted the underlying theology was sound and invoked both Charlie Kirk and Pope Benedict as unlikely allies.

Talarico told Gardner he believes the Bible is "the absolute source of truth" even as he distanced himself from past statements used against him in attack ads across Texas.

He drew a parallel between his own reading of scripture and Charlie Kirk's, arguing that defining God beyond human categories is "not controversial theologically."

Talarico also faced pressure over using the Bible to justify his pro-choice stance on abortion, with Gardner telling him his remarks had led many Christian voters to question his faith.