Democratic Texas Senate candidate James Talarico visited a local mosque at age 13 the weekend after the September 11, 2001 attacks. His mother brought him, his sister Madeleine, and two friends, according to remarks he made to Texas Monthly in January.

Talarico faces Republican Attorney General Ken Paxton in November for the Senate seat now held by John Cornyn. St. Andrews Presbyterian Church in Austin, which he attends, has partnered with the Council on American and Islamic Relations and hosted a yearly iftar dinner for Ramadan.