Texas Democrat James Talarico is running for the U.S. Senate, but his record shows that his criticism of capitalism is hardly a new talking point.

In 2020, while serving in the Texas House, Talarico described capitalism as one of several interconnected “oppressive systems” and spoke about beginning the process of “dismantling” them — rhetoric strikingly similar to language being used at the time by Democratic Socialists of America and progressive climate activists.

During a September 2020 virtual climate candidate forum hosted by the Austin chapter of the Sierra Club, Talarico was asked what lawmakers could do to address the disproportionate effects of climate change on communities of color.

His response connected climate change directly to capitalism and what he described as white supremacy.

“I’m so thankful that you asked this question and also thankful that young activists have really drawn the link between climate change and White supremacy and capitalism in our country,” Talarico said.

The language matters because it was not occurring in isolation.

At the time, the Democratic Socialists of America was openly describing climate activism as a fight against capitalism itself and against what it characterized as the “forms of oppression” supporting the economic system.

The Sunrise Movement, another prominent progressive climate organization, likewise argued in 2020 that climate activism required dismantling systems of extraction, segregation and what it called racist inequality.

Talarico had already been involved in the broader climate movement.

In September 2019, he participated in the Youth Climate Strike at the Texas State Capitol in Austin. The movement was co-founded by Isra Hirsi, the daughter of Rep. Ilhan Omar.

And the rhetoric surrounding the movement went well beyond environmental policy.

In July 2020, Omar used similar language while discussing environmental racism, arguing that various “systems of oppression” were linked and calling for the dismantling of the broader system.

Weeks later, during a Democratic National Committee Youth Council climate panel, activist Ashley Nicole McCray described the desired future in terms of “the destruction of colonization, white supremacy and capitalism.”

McCray also called for moving away from those systems and advancing the Green New Deal.

That context makes Talarico’s own comments difficult to dismiss as an isolated choice of words.

His interest in climate activism dates back even further. While attending the University of Texas at Austin in 2009, Talarico participated in an effort urging the city to divest from a coal-powered power plant.

At the time, he promoted the effort as a way to support environmental goals while creating a more sustainable economy.

His activism eventually followed him into education and politics.

In 2012, while working as a sixth-grade language arts teacher, Talarico tweeted about teaching students about global warming while using the hashtag “#liberalpropaganda.” He also identified former Vice President Al Gore as his favorite vice-presidential pick.

But the most consequential question now is what those beliefs mean when translated into government policy.

After Texas suffered its catastrophic 2021 power-grid failure, which killed hundreds of Texans, Talarico introduced a climate action plan calling for the state to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions by at least 50 percent below 1990 levels by 2030 and at least 90 percent below 1990 levels by 2050.

That is a dramatic policy agenda for a state whose economy depends heavily on affordable and reliable energy.

Texas voters therefore have more than a few old comments to consider. They have a political record showing a candidate who has repeatedly connected environmental policy with a broader ideological project aimed at fundamentally changing how the economy and society operate.

There is nothing wrong with debating climate policy. There is also nothing wrong with defending capitalism, private enterprise and the economic freedom that allows Americans to build businesses, create jobs and pursue prosperity.

But voters deserve honesty about the difference between reforming a system and “dismantling” it.

Talarico is now seeking a seat in the U.S. Senate. Texans should ask a simple question: Is this merely rhetoric from a younger version of the candidate, or does it still reflect the political vision he intends to bring to Washington?

Because when politicians tell voters what they believe, Americans should listen — especially when they use the word “dismantle.”