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Talarico Tests Texas GOP Grip as Black and Hispanic Voters Weigh Senate Bid
ReTalarico Tests Texas GOP Grip as Black and Hispanic Voters Weigh Senate Bid
Democrat James Talarico is courting Texas's Black and Hispanic voters in a Senate race that could determine whether the reliably red state becomes competitive, though a divisive primary and turnout questions complicate his path.
A competitive Senate race in Texas is testing whether the state remains safely Republican, with Black and Hispanic voters emerging as the decisive bloc in Democrat James Talarico's bid to become the first Democrat in more than three decades to win statewide office there.
Talarico's campaign has drawn attention to Texas's roughly 2.7 million Black eligible voters, the largest such population of any state, concentrated in Houston, Dallas-Fort Worth and East Texas. Former President Barack Obama appeared with Talarico at a May campaign stop in Austin, a signal of how heavily Democrats are leaning on that voting bloc to reshape the state's political map.
Voters interviewed in the Dallas area described the race as a rare opening. «I definitely do think, if there's any time for Texas to get a Democrat elected, this is the time to strike,» said Mike, a military veteran from Dallas. «I think it depends on whether the Black and Brown voters come out for Talarico.»
Mike framed the contest as a test of whether frustration with Republican leadership translates into action at the polls. «Right now it is on the Texas voters to get out and support James Talarico or sit at home if you don't want to see that change,» he said.
That enthusiasm faces a structural obstacle: the Democratic primary. Talarico defeated Rep. Jasmine Crockett earlier this year, and the outgoing congresswoman has not endorsed his Senate campaign. Crockett has said she supports the Democratic ticket in Texas, but her political action committee has not backed Talarico or campaigned for him.
Rashaun, of Forney, said the primary's aftermath may still weigh on some Black voters. «Everyone was behind Jasmine,» she said. «So that's what's blocking, I'm going to say for my people, that was blocking their minds.» Even so, Rashaun said she intends to vote for Talarico and wants the state to flip. «We need Texas to flip. We can wish and hope and pray. But we need to get out and vote.»
Other voters pointed to state-level Republican figures as a motivating force. Bryant, of Coppell, cited frustration with Gov. Greg Abbott and Attorney General Ken Paxton. «This is a critical election,» he said. «I think we all can feel it in Texas, the need to get Greg Abbott out.» He added that Paxton's record has become a liability. «It's no longer working and we need to do something different.»
Talarico's outreach to younger voters has also shaped his coalition. Ava, a college student from Denton, said his engagement with that generation and his social media presence have helped him connect with voters who feel overlooked. She first met him at the Texas State Fair last year and later followed his campaign online. «I do think he's going to pull through,» she said. «I think he's going to flip the state.»
Kiara, of Dallas, said the energy behind Talarico must still be converted into ballots. «I live in Texas, and I've been here for a really long time, and it's time for a change, a positive change,» she said. «We just have to vote. We can't complain about the problems if you don't want to vote to fix them.»
Recent polling has shown Talarico tied with Paxton in the Senate race, a result that has unsettled assumptions about the GOP's hold on the state. Whether that parity holds depends heavily on turnout among Black and Hispanic voters in the state's major metropolitan areas, where Democrats see their clearest path to victory.
The outcome carries implications beyond Texas. A Democratic win would end a statewide drought stretching back more than 30 years and could signal broader shifts in a state that has long anchored Republican electoral strength. A loss, by contrast, would reinforce questions about whether Democratic gains among the state's diversifying electorate can be realized at the ballot box.
For now, the race rests on a familiar question in Texas politics: whether voters who say they want change will show up in November to deliver it.
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