In an interview on Tuesday night, a Texas Democrat who fled the state for Washington DC in an attempt to stop a restrictive voting rights law challenged a Fox News host to say Donald Trump lost the 2020 presidential election.

The host, Pete Hegseth, would not.

James Talarico, a representative from the Austin area, was one of more than 50 Texas Democrats who fled to Washington DC. The dramatic move was made to deny Republicans a quorum to pass legislation which critics say restricts ballot access among communities likely to vote Democratic.

Earlier on Tuesday, President Joe Biden gave a major speech on voting rights in Pennsylvania, demanding of Republicans “Have you no shame?”

Later, Hegseth accused Talarico of being used “as a prop or puppet” by Democrats in Washington.

“I’m an eighth-generation Texan,” Talarico said. “I’ve only been in DC twice in my life … I’m a former middle-school teacher who ran for office just to try to make my community better and I swore an oath when I first got elected two years ago to uphold the constitution.

“The constitution of the United States, and also the constitution of the great state of Texas. And after our former President Donald Trump started his big lie that the election was stolen. Republican legislators in capitols across the country started …”

Hegseth interrupted.

“How did you make this about Donald Trump in 20 seconds?” he asked.

Trump’s lie that his defeat was the result of electoral fraud fueled the deadly attack on the US Capitol on 6 January and attempts by Republicans around the US to restrict voting rights. In May, Texas Democrats left the state capitol to stop the bill passing. In July, they left the state.

“Why are you not in Texas,” Hegseth asked, “and why are you in Washington DC doing press conferences with federal officials?”

“What I was saying,” Talarico said, “is when President Trump lost the election he told Republicans across the country that he didn’t lose the election, and this caused Republican legislators in state capitals from Georgia to Austin to start putting forward bills that would make it harder to vote.

“Texas is one of the hardest places to vote in the whole country. And so when me my Democratic colleagues tried to negotiate with our fellow legislators, most of them Republicans, to try to make the bill less damaging, less harmful, less dangerous to constituencies across the state of Texas, unfortunately our Republican colleagues didn’t want …”

Hegseth interrupted again, raising the issue of alleged electoral fraud and the need for partisan poll watchers.

“Do you remember a second ago when I talked about the big lie?” Talarico asked. “This is exactly what I’m talking about. The reason so many folks believe it is true is because folks like you get on television every night and repeat the lie over and over again.”

Hegseth said Talarico opposed voter ID. Talarico said he opposed measures that sought to make it harder for people to vote.

Hegseth, he added, had “made a lot of money personally and you’ve enriched a lot of corporations with advertising by getting on here and spewing lies and conspiracy theories to folks who … what I’m asking you to do is tell your voters right now that Donald Trump lost the election in 2020.

“Did Donald Trump lose the election in 2020? Can you answer the question? Did Donald Trump lose the election in 2020?

Hegseth said: “I think I’m answering the questions.”

Talarico said: “Is it an uncomfortable question for you?”

Hegseth said: “No.”

The Fox News host – who once achieved fame for claiming not to wash his hands because germs “are not a real thing” – ended the interview by criticising Talarico and his fellow Democrats for flying to Washington on a private plane without wearing masks.

Talarico said the Texas Democrats were fully vaccinated against Covid-19.