The Texas Senate candidate referred to as Tellerico voted for transgender surgery.
Posted by The Benny Show, Checked
- Sources
- 4 contradict2 context
- Said
- 1 time·
- Confidence
- 80%
The Benny ShowOct 28, 2026
The claim that the candidate (named 'Tellerico' in the post, which the sources identify as James Talarico) voted for transgender surgery is contradicted.
A guest makes this claim. Listeners heard it, so it counts against the post, and on the guest's own record.
What was said
… You got any stories about Tala rica? You got what they got on? We keep hearing little rumblings that, like, we haven't even seen the worst on this. Personal stories? I got votes. He voted for boys and girls sports. He voted for transgender surgery. Listen, those are, as Trump says, those are 90-10 issues, and in Texas, so he's going to lose on those issues. He was in favor of Joe Biden's open border policies. He voted for defunding the police. I mean, every issue, this is 90-10 issue. …
The Benny Show · · from the transcriptPost →What we found
Contradicts. PolitiFact rated the claim that Talarico supported taxpayer-funded sex change surgeries for young children False, finding he voted against SB 14 and did not vote to spend taxpayer funds on gender-affirming surgery for children.[1][4]
Contradicts. CNN reports Talarico voted in favor of failed amendments that would have let the 2023 bill ban surgeries for minors while still allowing hormone therapy and puberty blockers, and that he opposes surgeries for minors.[3]
Contradicts. FactCheck.org reports Talarico voted for an amendment that would have restricted the 2023 bill to banning surgeries, undercutting the claim that he voted for gender surgery.[2]
Context. Talarico voted against SB 14, which passed 87-56 and prohibited certain gender-transition surgeries and treatments for minors; the record shows opposition to the bill, not a vote for surgery.[5][6]
Context. Sources do not address a vote on adult gender-affirming surgery, so the claim's breadth beyond minors is not directly tested, though the record shows no vote for surgery of any kind.[1][2][3]
Sources
6 sources: 2 fact-checkers, 1 tier 2, 3 not rated
- 1Texas ad distorts James Talarico's vote on gender-affirming care for ...politifact.com · fact-checker · cited for: contradicts, context
- 2Republican Ads Distort the Facts in Claiming Democratic ...factcheck.org · fact-checker · cited for: contradicts, context
- 3Fact check: Republicans' deceptive ads on key Democratic ... - CNNcnn.com · tier 2 · cited for: contradicts, context
- 4Fact check: Ad distorts James Talarico's vote on gender ...houstonchronicle.com · not rated · cited for: contradicts
- 5Talarico voted against Texas ban on transgender treatments for minorslubbocklights.com · not rated · cited for: context
- 6Did James Talarico support funding "sex change surgeries" for kids?yahoo.com · not rated · cited for: context
Where this claim was made
Said in 1 published post
Related claims
- The Texas Senate candidate referred to as Tellerico voted for defunding the police.False
- James Talarico voted against the bill to ban transition surgeries on children in Texas.True
- James Talarico supported using taxpayer dollars for sex change surgeries on young children.False
- James Talarico voted to allow men into girls' sports and restrooms.Mixed
- James Talarico is a candidate for the Texas Senate in 2026.True