AP U.S. History and AP Government teacher Mandy Murphy taught State Representative James Talarico at McNeil High School in Round Rock ISD. Talarico will be a candidate in the U.S. Senate election on Nov. 3rd, 2026. 

 Every year, when Murphy’s students graduate, she gives them her Facebook so they can keep in touch. By following him on Facebook, Murphy watched Talarico advance into government. Having known him for so long, she knew that being in the senate was not his original plan. 

“I was really excited that he decided to go down that path, because I know when he was in high school, that wasn’t really something on his radar,” Murphy said. “He didn’t run for student council or anything like that.”

“He has this natural gift for service,” she said. “He wants to serve people and to help make our country better, that’s just who he is as a person.” 

Murphy has seen students like Talarico grow interested in government, enlightening multiple minds of students and helping create a future of educators, representatives, and congressmen. 

“[Talarico is] the only one that has run for a significant office, that I know of,” she said. “I’ve had several students go and work for Congress members in Washington, D.C. One of them worked for John Tester, who is the senator of Montana and then there was another student that worked for a representative from California.”