Fox News personality Emily Compagno is facing criticism over outrageous comments she made about James Talarico, the Democratic candidate in Texas for a U.S. Senate seat.
Talarico “is not just some Democrat,” the “Outnumbered” co-host said on Friday. “This person is a demon in human skin.”
She also claimed Talarico “doesn’t want anyone to eat meat,” which is “disqualifying for Texas.”
That’s also untrue: He eats meat.
“I’ve been eating barbecue since before Ken Paxton’s first indictment,” Talarico said in May, referring to his Republican rival’s long history of scandals, which includes an indictment on three felony counts in a fraud case and an impeachment.
Paxton, who is the Texas attorney general, ducked a trial for nearly a decade and eventually reached a settlement that included paying $300,000 in restitution and community service. He was ultimately acquitted by the state Senate on 16 articles of impeachment.
Talarico is a member of the state’s House of Representatives and a Presbyterian seminarian. Polls in Texas, usually a reliable red state, show a tight race, with a New York Times/Siena poll this week finding a dead heat.
As the race looks more competitive, the attacks against Talarico have grown uglier ― with Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick (R) saying Talarico is “going to hell” for “blasphemy” and a pro-Paxton group running a creepy AI ad against him.
Even President Donald Trump has gotten involved, attacking Talarico multiple times and this week announcing a GOP midterm convention to be held in Dallas ― a signal, observers say, that Paxton will need all the help he can get.
Critics on social media hit back at Compagno for joining the race to the bottom with her own “demon” insult against Talarico: