Texas state Rep. James Talarico launched his campaign for the Senate on Tuesday, joining Democrats‘ push to flip the seat held by Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX), who first must survive a bruising Republican primary against state Attorney General Ken Paxton.

Talarico, 36, a former middle school teacher and progressive rising star in the state legislature, will face former Democratic Texas Rep. Colin Allred in the Democratic primary, setting up an intraparty clash that could grow even more crowded if former Democratic Texas Rep. Beto O’Rourke decides to run.

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