‘The Chosen‘ actor Jordan Walker Ross endorsed Texas Democratic Senate candidate James Talarico on Thursday, helping launch a faith-based voter coalition ahead of November’s election while drawing criticism from a Republican state lawmaker over taxpayer-funded Hollywood subsidies.
Ross, who portrays the apostle Little James in the popular faith-based television series, announced his endorsement in a campaign video promoting “Faithful Texans for Talarico,” an initiative intended to attract religious voters.
“A lot of politicians like to talk about Christian values, but you don’t really see that reflected in their legislation or the way that they live, but you do see that in the way that James lives. He loves his neighbor; he takes care of the needy, the sick, the immigrant,” Ross said.
A spokesperson for Republican Senate candidate Ken Paxton’s campaign slammed Talarico’s appeals to Christian voters in a statement to Fox News Digital, accusing the Democrat of using his religious beliefs to justify progressive positions on social issues.
‘OFFICE’ STAR SAYS JAMES TALARICO’S RELIGIOUS BELIEFS ‘ACHINGLY CLOSE’ TO JESUS CHRIST
“Everything about James Talarico is fake,” the spokesperson said. “He uses his beliefs to justify his most radical positions, all while calling himself ‘a Christian who hates Christianity.’ In Talarico’s twisted version of Christianity, a follower of Christ is required to bend the knee at thealtar of the radical trans agenda, disavow the oil and gas industry, support late-term abortion, and open the door to every criminal illegal immigrant seeking asylum. I’m still looking through the Bible to find those passages, but I wouldn’t call it Christian.”
Texas state Rep. Brian Harrison, R-Texas, also criticized the endorsement on X, accusing state lawmakers of subsidizing actors who support Democrats.
“Your money is being used to help elect Democrats like James Talarico,” he said.
Harrison also took aim at Texas Senate Bill 22, which expanded Texas’ film incentive program. Texas Film Commission records show that The Chosen Texas LLC received approximately $862,527 for its second season in 2022 and another $1.995 million for its fourth season in March 2025, totaling near $2.86 million. Both payments preceded the new legislation’s September 2025 effective date.
In a follow-up statement to Fox News Digital, Harrison slammed the film program as a “socialist scheme to give billions of tax dollars to rich, woke, Hollywood leftists.” He argued that production offsets “directly or indirectly” subsidize actor salaries, pledging to introduce legislation next session to repeal the “indefensible” Hollywood subsidies.
Ross defended the film incentives and rejected the suggestion that actors’ political endorsements should affect production opportunities.
“The growing film industry in TX creates thousands of jobs for Texans who fall on both sides of the aisle,” Ross said, in a statement Sunday to Fox News Digital. “For Harrison to suggest that those opportunities should be taken away simply because some actors — like myself — endorse Democratic candidates is unconstitutional. One of the beautiful things about our country is the right to voice our opinions and I encourage my fellow actors/filmmakers (on the right AND left) to do the same.”
“I believe it’s time for a change and that James Talarico offers a clear vision for how to create those changes,” he continued.
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Brittany Hughes, a video host at the Media Research Center, criticized Ross’ endorsement in a statement to Fox News Digital, arguing that his role as an apostle on “The Chosen” did not make him an authority on Christian teachings.
“As is any American, Ross is free to vote for whatever candidate he chooses,” she said. “But American voters aren’t obligated to take a theological lesson from an actor simply because he plays an apostle on TV.”
“It’s a simple fact that many of Talarico’s public positions are in total opposition to basic Christian principles — his support for so-called gender transitioning, for example, which is completely at odds with the biblical description of God having created us male and female separately and for separate purposes,” she added.
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Lisa Cusack, president of the Don’t L.A. My Burbank PAC, criticized the endorsement in a statement to Fox News Digital, questioning whether Hollywood actors could influence Texas voters.
“I highly doubt this will help Talarico with voters, but Ross’ outspoken progressive politics could alienate Christian audiences from The Chosen. Christians and Texas voters can see through this kind of set piece Christianity,” she said. “Theater kids generally make terrible political pundits.”
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Ross rejected the idea that political differences necessarily alienate fans, saying he welcomes conversations with viewers who disagree with him.
“As a progressive actor on a TV show with a largely conservative audience, I’ve had so many wonderful opportunities to engage in challenging conversations with my fans and I also do so from a place of compassion and curiosity. When we do that, we can learn so much from one another.”
Talarico, a Presbyterian seminarian, faces Republican Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, who announced his own “Pastors for Paxton” coalition with 27 faith leaders the same week.
Fox News Digital reached out to Talarico and the Texas Film Commission for comment, but did not immediately receive a response.