Talarico campaign confirms hire of Jacob Smith, a former Cornyn deputy staffer

Texas state Sen. James Talarico’s campaign said Monday that it has hired Jacob Smith, a former top staffer for Republican Sen. John Cornyn of Texas, to join Talarico’s team ahead of the fall election season. According to the campaign, Smith will serve as deputy policy director, with duties focused on policy development and coordination related to campaign outreach.

The Hill reported that Smith previously worked for Cornyn as deputy legislative director. The transition to the Talarico campaign marks a move from a senior legislative role on a Texas Republican senator’s staff to a Democratic statewide campaign function intended to shape and communicate policy positions.

Talarico, a Democrat, is running for Senate, and the campaign’s announcement frames the hire as part of building out policy capacity months before the midterm cycle accelerates. The campaign confirmation did not provide additional details about specific portfolio issues Smith will oversee, but described the role in general terms as deputy policy director.

Political operatives familiar with the staffing process said senior legislative staffers often bring experience in drafting and reviewing policy proposals, tracking legislative negotiations, and translating complex issues for lawmakers and outside stakeholders. In the case of Smith, the reported move from Cornyn’s office to Talarico’s campaign indicates that his background will be repurposed for a campaign environment rather than a legislative one.

The hiring comes as candidates in high-profile Senate races increasingly add staff early to support policy messaging, constituent engagement, and rapid-response communications. For a statewide campaign, policy roles can also influence how teams prepare for interviews, hearings, and events that require candidates to answer detailed questions on legal and regulatory topics.

In his Cornyn role, Smith was deputy legislative director, a position that typically involves legislative strategy and the mechanics of staff work supporting a senator’s agenda. The Talarico campaign’s announcement did not specify whether Smith will maintain any issue-specific focus from his time with Cornyn, or whether he will shift to broader policy areas tied to Talarico’s campaign platform.

The campaign hire is one of several staffing moves that can report how quickly a campaign expects to ramp up policy staffing and messaging infrastructure. Because the reporting provides limited detail beyond the job title change and prior role, additional information on Smith’s day-to-day responsibilities and issue assignments would likely come through future campaign communications or internal staff disclosures.