DALLAS, Texas — Democratic U.S. Senate nominee James Talarico visited a barbecue restaurant in South Dallas this week to discuss rising beef prices and respond to Republican opponent Ken Paxton’s claim that he is a vegan, as both candidates addressed economic issues during the Texas Senate race.
Talarico spoke with reporters at Smokey Joe’s BBQ in Dallas after Paxton, the Texas attorney general and Republican Senate nominee, described him as a vegan during a victory speech following the Republican runoff election.
“He’s a vegan who thinks God is non-binary and that there’s actually six biological sexes,” Paxton said in the speech.
Talarico said the claim was false and shifted attention to the cost of food and affordability.
“He’s going to lie about what I eat,” Talarico said. “I’m going to focus on making sure Texans can afford to eat.”
The discussion came as beef prices remain elevated nationwide. The U.S. cattle herd totaled 86.2 million cattle and calves as of Jan. 1, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The figure marked the lowest level since 1951.
The Washington Post previously reported that higher beef costs contributed to the closure of several Texas barbecue restaurants.
Last month, Paxton announced an antitrust investigation into the meatpacking industry in coordination with the U.S. Department of Justice. The investigation focuses on whether four meatpacking companies manipulated the market by reducing payments to Texas cattle ranchers while increasing prices for consumers.
“Texans deserve fairly priced beef and our state’s cattle ranchers deserve to be paid fairly for their hard work,” Paxton said in a statement announcing the investigation. “If major meatpackers manipulated the market to underpay ranchers while forcing families to pay higher prices at the grocery store, we will hold them accountable.”
Talarico attributed rising beef prices to tariffs and reductions at the U.S. Department of Agriculture. He said higher prices could further affect consumers’ purchasing decisions.
“I think with the rising price of beef, we may all be forced to be vegans pretty soon,” Talarico said.
