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State Rep. James Talarico has inquired with television stations about potential Senate ad rates, according to two sources with knowledge of his requests — the most concrete step he has taken yet toward running for statewide office.

Already a Democratic rising star, Talarico, a fourth-term representative from Austin, has been ubiquitous since Democrats decamped to Illinois Sunday over a Republican plan to redraw Texas’ congressional map. The 36-year-old has appeared everywhere from network television to podcasts to Washington newsletters, flooding the zone with discussions of the redistricting clash.

He logged 25 interviews in the first 24 hours of the quorum

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