--- title: "Talarico ad criticises Biden on border, draws union fire" publication: "MediaBias News" url: "https://mediabias.news/politics/talarico-ad-criticises-biden-on-border-draws-union-fire" api: "https://mediabias.news/api/v1/stories/talarico-ad-criticises-biden-on-border-draws-union-fire" markdown: "https://mediabias.news/politics/talarico-ad-criticises-biden-on-border-draws-union-fire.md" audio: "https://mediabias.news/api/audio/talarico-ad-criticises-biden-on-border-draws-union-fire" category: "Politics" area: "United States" published: "2026-10-16T00:25:17.916Z" source_reported: "2026-10-15T16:44:31.407Z" updated: "2026-10-16T00:25:17.916Z" trust_score: 86 critic_score: 95 hype_score: 68 assessment_type: "coverage-and-source-reporting-analysis" fact_check_status: "not-performed" coverage_measured: "2026-10-16T01:30:12.673237+00:00" --- # Talarico ad criticises Biden on border, draws union fire *Texas Senate candidate's new television spot on immigration sparks debate over his past stances.* **Scores for the source reporting** (0-100, assessing the original journalism this article was written from, not this write-up): - Trust 86 of 100, higher is better. Trust high (86) due to named sources, quoted figures, and multiple independent outlets including Newsweek and NewsBusters. - Craft 95 of 100, higher is better. Critic score 95 reflects clear context, multiple quotes, specific data, and explanation of campaign relevance. - Hype 68 of 100, lower is better. Hype 68 due to sensational right‑leaning headlines that overstate the story compared to the modest full report. Scored by MediaBias News; method at https://mediabias.news/methodology. **The short version** - Texas Senate candidate James Talarico released a television ad criticising Joe Biden's handling of the border. - The National Border Patrol Union stated that Talarico does not support border security, contradicting his ad's message. - Talarico's campaign received at least $448,000 from data-center-related executives and committees through June, according to an analysis of Federal Election Commission records. - Polls show Talarico narrowly ahead of his opponent, Ken Paxton, with an average of 48.1 percent to Paxton's 45.3 percent. Texas Democratic Senate candidate James Talarico has released a new television advertisement in which he states he "called out Joe Biden for failing us on the border." The ad also criticises Republican opponent Ken Paxton for his ties to the data center industry, alleging that Paxton "gave data centers billions in special tax breaks and they gave him nearly half a million in campaign contributions." This figure aligns with an analysis of Federal Election Commission records by NOTUS, which found Paxton's campaign received at least $448,000 from data-center-related executives and committees through June. The Talarico campaign ad's message on border security has been challenged by the National Border Patrol Union. The union stated that Talarico "does not support border security." Newsweek reported that Talarico has made the argument about Biden's border failures since July, though Republicans have questioned when this criticism began. Talarico has cited a speech from 2022 as evidence of his stance. Polls indicate a close race between Talarico and Paxton. The RealClearPolitics average of polls from September 18 to October 8 shows Talarico at 48.1 percent and Paxton at 45.3 percent. Newsweek reported that Talarico raised more than $27 million in the first quarter and $30 million in the second quarter of the year. AdImpact estimates total ad spending in the race has surpassed $440 million. ## Disagreement on Talarico's border security stance The National Border Patrol Union stated that James Talarico "does not support border security," according to digests from NewsBusters, The Gateway Pundit, PJ Media, RedState, and Slay News. In contrast, Talarico's campaign ad, as reported by Newsweek and Fox News, features him saying he "called out Joe Biden for failing us on the border." ## What the coverage left out None of the right-rated digests mention the campaign's fundraising figures for the first two quarters of the year, which were reported by Newsweek. The right-rated digests also do not mention the total ad spending in the race, estimated by AdImpact to be over $440 million, a detail also reported by Newsweek. ## Who covered it Shares of the 14 covering outlets with a published leaning rating: - Left: 0% (0) - Centre: 14% (2) - Right: 86% (12) 0 of 14 covering outlets carried no usable leaning rating and were excluded from those percentages. Coverage measured 2026-10-16T01:30:12.673237+00:00. **Coverage watch:** developing. Checked 6 times; 0 checks found a material change. Most recently checked 2026-10-16T01:45:07.451Z. ## How the sides framed it ### Left No separate framing summary. ### Centre - The centre-rated reports led on James Talarico's campaign advertisements, focusing on his criticism of Joe Biden's border policies and his attacks on Ken Paxton's ties to the data center industry. Newsweek, which provided a full report, detailed Talarico's two new television ads, one addressing the border and the other targeting Paxton's alleged financial links to data centers. This report also included polling data showing Talarico narrowly ahead and noted Talarico's fundraising figures for the first two quarters of the year. The Hill's digest focused on Talarico stating Biden "failed" on the border. ### Right - Right-rated reports focused heavily on the National Border Patrol Union's criticism of James Talarico's campaign ad regarding border security. Multiple digests, including those from NewsBusters, The Gateway Pundit, PJ Media, RedState, and Slay News, highlighted the union's statement that Talarico "does not support border security" and accused him of lying or having a "horrific border security record." Several digests, such as those from capitalisminstitute.org, WCIV, KATV, My NBC 15, and WPBN, reported that Talarico's ad claiming he called out Biden on the border contradicted his past stances or signalled an appetite for swing voters. Fox News and Slay News also mentioned Talarico's past calls to cut Texas' border security budget. **Provisional coverage gap:** left. The watch is not closed, so this is not yet a settled blindspot finding. ## Factuality profile of the covering outlets These are published factuality ratings of the outlets, not a verdict on whether this story or its claims are true. - veryLow: 2 - low: 2 - mixed: 4 - high: 4 - veryHigh: 2 ## Verification scope This page compares coverage and scores the source reporting. It is not a ClaimReview verdict on whether the underlying event or claim is true. ## Original reporting this was written from - [NewsBusters](https://newsbusters.org/blogs/cnsnews/craig-bannister/2026/10/15/talaricos-claim-he-called-out-biden-fake-news-border) — Talarico’s Claim He ‘Called Out’ Biden Is Fake News, Border Patrol Union Says - [The Gateway Pundit](https://thegatewaypundit.com/2026/10/national-border-patrol-union-slams-talarico-lying-about) — National Border Patrol Union SLAMS Talarico for Lying About Supporting Border Security – “He Labeled Border Security Funding as Wasted Money” * The Gateway Pundit * by Jim Hoft - [The Hill](https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/6150167-james-talarico-texas-joe-biden-border-security-2026-midterms) — Talarico says Biden ‘failed’ Texas by not securing border - [capitalisminstitute.org](https://capitalisminstitute.org/james-talarico-hits-biden-on-the-border-in-new-ad-after-years-of-softer-immigration-line) — Talarico Border Ad Contradicts 2019 Security Stance - [WCIV](https://abcnews4.com/news/nation-world/texas-democrat-james-talarico-says-biden-failed-on-border-security-immigration-president-trump-administration-midterm-elections-2026) — Texas Democrat Talarico says Biden failed on border security - [KATV](https://katv.com/news/nation-world/texas-democrat-james-talarico-says-biden-failed-on-border-security-immigration-president-trump-administration-midterm-elections-2026) — Texas Democrat Talarico says Biden failed on border security - [My NBC 15](https://mynbc15.com/news/nation-world/texas-democrat-james-talarico-says-biden-failed-on-border-security-immigration-president-trump-administration-midterm-elections-2026) — Texas Democrat Talarico says Biden failed on border security - [WPBN](https://upnorthlive.com/news/nation-world/texas-democrat-james-talarico-says-biden-failed-on-border-security-immigration-president-trump-administration-midterm-elections-2026) — Texas Democrat Talarico says Biden failed on border security - [PJ Media](https://pjmedia.com/catherinesalgado/2026/10/15/border-patrol-union-exposes-talaricos-horrific-border-security-record-n4958333) — Border Patrol Union Exposes Talarico’s Horrific Border Security Record - [RedState](https://redstate.com/nick-arama/2026/10/14/talarico-gets-nailed-for-lie-it-reveals-his-campaign-is-in-trouble-n2208146) — Talarico Gets Nailed for Big Problem With Claim in New Ad, Shows Campaign Is in Trouble - [Slay News](https://slaynews.com/james-talarico-attacks-biden-border-failures-calling-strip-texas-entire-security-budget) — James Talarico Attacks Biden for Border Failures After Calling to Strip Texas’ Entire Security Budget - [democraticaccent.com](https://democraticaccent.com/james-talarico-torches-biden-border-policies-in-stunning-attack-ad-as-progressive-tries-to-flip-texas-blue) — James Talarico torches Biden border policies in stunning attack ad as progressive tries to flip Texas blue – Democratic Accent - [Fox News](https://foxnews.com/politics/james-talarico-torches-biden-border-policies-stunning-attack-ad-progressive-tries-flip-texas-blue) — James Talarico torches Biden border policies in stunning attack ad as progressive tries to flip Texas blue - [Newsweek](https://newsweek.com/talarico-takes-on-bidens-border-policies-and-data-centers-in-texas-ads-12558336) — Talarico takes on Biden's border policies and data centers in Texas ads ## Questions **What did James Talarico's new campaign ad say about the border?** James Talarico's campaign television ad stated that he "called out Joe Biden for failing us on the border." This ad was released as part of his campaign for the Texas Senate. **What is the National Border Patrol Union's stance on Talarico?** The National Border Patrol Union stated that James Talarico "does not support border security." This statement contradicts the message conveyed in Talarico's recent campaign advertisement. **How are Talarico and Paxton polling against each other?** According to the RealClearPolitics average of polls from September 18 to October 8, James Talarico was at 48.1 percent and Ken Paxton was at 45.3 percent, indicating a narrow lead for Talarico. --- MediaBias News — https://mediabias.news. Reproduced from https://mediabias.news/politics/talarico-ad-criticises-biden-on-border-draws-union-fire. Please cite as: MediaBias News, "Talarico ad criticises Biden on border, draws union fire", https://mediabias.news/politics/talarico-ad-criticises-biden-on-border-draws-union-fire