Robert Jeffress says Talarico 'not a Christian;' Democratic Party advocates 'evil'

First Baptist Dallas Pastor Robert Jeffress recently reiterated his assertion that the Democratic Party has been reduced to openly advocating for sin and offered U.S. Senate candidate James Talarico as a particular example.

During an episode of Republican Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick's podcast that aired Sept. 30, Jeffress acknowledged that there is immorality in the Republican Party, but suggested the Democratic Party platform has become intrinsically evil.

"There are good Republicans, moral Republicans, and immoral Republicans," said Jeffress, who has been an outspoken supporter of President Donald Trump.

"The same way with Democrats. No party has a monopoly on morality. We're all sinners. We all need the forgiveness of Jesus Christ. But it's one thing for a person to fall into sin and then repent and turn away from that sin. That happens [in] both parties. There's a difference, though, between falling into sin and advocating for sin," he continued.

"And that's what the Democrat Party is doing. It is advocating for evil. And there's no other way to call it. It is evil," he added, offering transgender ideology, abortion and not supporting Israel as examples.

Jeffress went on to single out the religious rhetoric of Talarico, who is running against Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton for U.S. Senate.

"And to teach that Jesus, as one candidate for Texan senator [Talarico] said, that Jesus is nothing more than a barefooted rabbi who munches bird seed and says nice things to people — to reduce the Son of God to that is evil. And we have to take a stand against evil. And that's what I see going on in this upcoming election," he said.

When Patrick noted that Talarico has attempted to use the Bible to support the positions that Jeffress described as "evil," Jeffress suggested the Presbyterian seminarian and Texas state representative has provided no evidence that he is actually a Christian.

"I've never seen a candidate or heard a candidate who attacks God, who attacks the Word of God, and so far is getting away with it with a lot of people," Patrick said, to which Jeffress replied: "Let me cut to the chase here, governor: James Talarico is not a Christian."

"Now, I know that's going to infuriate some people to hear me say that, because they don't know what a Christian is. A Christian, by definition, is somebody who embraces the teachings of Jesus Christ, who follows the teaching of Christ. And James Talarico's views are antithetical to what Jesus taught," he continued.

Jeffress was echoing claims he made during the second night of the Republican National Committee's Midterm Convention in Dallas last month, when he said that while he disagrees that "all Republicans are saints," he considers the Democratic Party to be "advocates for evil."

"James Talarico believes there is a spectrum of genders; but in Matthew 19, Jesus said there are only two genders, 'male and female,'" Jeffress told the convention. "James Talarico believes that all religions are equally valid and are simply different truths or different paths up the same mountain of truth."

"But Jesus Christ disagrees with James Talarico. In John 14:6, Jesus said, 'I am the way, the truth, and the life. No man comes to the Father but by me.' James Talarico describes himself as 'a Christian who hates Christianity.' And perhaps he was telling the truth about that.”

Jeffress claimed that Talarico's beliefs are "more than wrong," calling them "blasphemous," "evil" and "not beliefs that any true Christian could support ever."

Jeffress has also recently criticized the leadership of St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church (PCUSA), Talarico's home church in Austin, Texas.

No true Christian could ever be a member of a church like this. https://t.co/4Szy99wMu9,

— Dr. Robert Jeffress (@robertjeffress) September 24, 2026

"No true Christian could ever be a member of a church like this," Jeffress wrote on social media on Sept. 24 in response to a story from The Christian Post about the Rev. Babs Miller being caught on a hidden camera openly denying the Gospel and denouncing God as "vengeful."

Miller, a lesbian who identifies as nonbinary and serves as minister to the parish at St. Andrew's, questioned whether Jesus even existed while also claiming He was killed because Rome saw Him as a political threat. Other videos circulating in recent weeks also show the Rev. Jim Rigby, lead pastor of St. Andrew's, denying the Resurrection and espousing Gnostic teachings.