Utah Sen. Mike Lee depicted James Talarico as a child-sacrificing worshipper of the ancient god Moloch
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():format(jpeg)/James-Talarico-Moloch-052926-3810794af0824989b19671a6692b2a4a.jpg "GOP Senator Depicts Democratic Senate Candidate as Child-Sacrificer While Republicans Accuse Left of Inciting Political Violence")
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NEED TO KNOW
- Republican Utah Sen. Mike Lee likened Texas Democratic Senate candidate James Talarico to a child-sacrificing worshipper of the ancient god Moloch
- Lee made the statement in a post shared on X on Wednesday, May 27, and wrote, “James Talarico will put you first. On the altar to Moloch”
- Talarico has not been accused of any wrongdoing, and it is not immediately clear why Lee compared him to a Moloch worshiper
Republican Utah Sen. Mike Lee recently likened Democratic Senate candidate James Talarico to a child-sacrificing worshipper of the ancient god Moloch.
“James Talarico will put you first,” wrote Lee on X on Wednesday, May 27. “On the altar to Moloch.”
Lee's post was accompanied by an AI-animated video of an 1800s illustration of Moloch surrounded by flames and worshippers offering him a baby.
James Talarico will put you first
On the altar to Moloch https://t.co/V5So901u9g pic.twitter.com/pZfTcq07VX
— Mike Lee (@BasedMikeLee) May 28, 2026
Moloch is “a Canaanite deity associated in biblical sources with the practice of child sacrifice,” according to the Encyclopedia Britannica, and is mentioned in the Old Testament as an example of the polytheistic gods that the Hebrew God forbade Moses and his followers from worshipping.
In more recent years, far-right conspiracy propagators have alleged that global political and business elites worship Moloch in secret and enact policies to appease the sadistic deity.
Talarico has not been accused of any wrongdoing. It's not clear why Lee compared him to a Moloch worshiper.
PEOPLE reached out to Lee's office and his campaign, as well as Talarico's campaign, for comment on Friday, May 29.
Credit: Antranik Tavitian/Bloomberg
Lee, a devout Mormon, is among the many Republicans who have repeatedly called out Democrats for their critiques of and political attacks on President Donald Trump and his allies.
“When you compare Trump to Hitler [y]ou encourage assassination attempts,” Lee wrote on X on May 23. “Stop it. There’s zero legal or moral justification for violence against him. I invite all Democrats to echo this message.”
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Lee’s post came the day after Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton bested incumbent Sen. John Cornyn, the longtime Republican leader in the state and the Senate, in a runoff primary election. Trump endorsed Paxton over the sitting senator after remaining on the fence for months.
Credit: Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty;Antranik Tavitian/Bloomberg
The scandal-plagued Paxton will seek to preserve Republicans’ winning streak in Texas statewide races as Democrats place their hopes in Talarico, who beat Rep. Jasmine Crockett in their primary, to finally flip the nation’s second most populous state blue.
Lee did offer some insight into his thinking in subsequent posts, instructing one X user who asked “The f—?” to “Read the Bible.”