James Talarico, a U.S. Senate candidate in Texas, briefly praised Frederick Haynes III, a Democratic congressional candidate who compared President Donald Trump’s immigration enforcement efforts to the KKK, at a get-out-the-vote event on Thursday as part of his Clear Eyes Full Hearts tour.
“Give it up for your next congressman, Dr. Freddy Haynes. Thank you, Dr. Haynes, for those kind words and for your service to this community,” Talarico said, following an introduction and speech from Haynes.
Although Talarico has not issued a formal endorsement of Haynes, the moment is notable for Talarico as he pitches himself as a Democrat who can represent the values of the Republican-leaning Lone Star State — and as he tries to distance himself from controversy over past remarks Republicans have characterized as woke.
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Haynes, the pastor of Friendship-West Baptist Church, has framed many of his political views in the context of race and did so again on the event with Talarico.
“You transformed ICE into the new KKK and brought about terror in this nation,” Haynes said of Trump’s use of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
“It’s time to melt ICE. It’s time to abolish ICE,” Haynes added.
Haynes is running to fill the seat of Rep. Jasmine Crockett, D-Texas, the incumbent in Texas’ 30th Congressional District who gave up her seat in a Senate bid she ultimately lost. During his campaign, Haynes has framed his support for climate policy as a fight against “environmental racism.” He has also accused conservatives and the Trump administration of benefiting from fears of Black advancement.
“They have used Black people and perceived Black progress as the boogeyman. We have not witnessed this kind of corruption, this kind of blatant corruption,” Haynes said in an October interview.
“We are witnessing the demolishing of what democratic infrastructure was built by the gains of the civil rights movement,” Haynes added.
Even before his congressional run, Haynes made political commentary that relied heavily on a racial lens.
After the death of Charlie Kirk, a conservative political commentator who started Turning Point USA, Haynes described Kirk as a man with views “rooted in White supremacy” and contrasted it with the deaths of Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X.
“A White Christian gets killed, murdered — not assassinated. We going to tell the whole truth today. Martin King got assassinated. Malcolm X got assassinated. Medgar Evers got assassinated. Don’t compare Kirk to King,” Haynes said in a September 2025 address to his church.
Haynes would go on to condemn Kirk’s death and political violence.
Haynes has also said he was a personal supporter of reparations.
“America, you owe us. What you done to us has been immoral. It’s been evil. It’s been unjust. It’s been downright wrong and the only way to bring salvation to America — you gotta pay us what you owe us,” Haynes said at a Solidarity for Reparations event at a San Francisco church.
“I’ve come by to say, San Francisco, California, Texas, United States of America, if you want salvation to come to this house, you’ve got to engage in reparations.”
For his own part, Talarico has also supported the idea of reparations, framing it as an outflow of his religious convictions.
“Reparations, repairing past harms, is part of my faith tradition. It’s part of the values I was raised with,” Talarico said in a town hall meeting in July. “We have to correct the injustices of our past.”
In the closing days of his campaign, Talarico has argued that, despite some of his views on race and gender which run counter to conservative stances, he could still represent Texas as a moderate.
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“Our campaign has been able to show that you can be a more moderate, reasonable candidate and still be exciting,” Talarico said in October.
Talarico’s campaign did not respond to a request for comment if his comment about Haynes should be viewed as an endorsement of his platform or his views on race in politics.