Gov. Greg Abbott is again rallying his conservative base to bolster support against Democratic U.S. Senate candidate James Talarico.
Talarico is "out of step with the overwhelming majority of Texans," Abbott said in a social media post on July 22 in a clip taken from a recent Fox News interview.
"(Talarico) has been on a tour across Texas lying to Texans about who he is and what his record is," Abbott said. "If you look at the votes he's cast, he's either the most or second most liberal leftist in the Texas Legislature. His beliefs about transgender ideology are contrary to where the vast majority of people are in the state and nation."
Abbott also said Talarico is out of step with many black voters because of his liberal policies, saying those
constituents are heavily connected to "faith and religion" and disagree with Talarico on issues such as sanctuary cities.
Talarico launched his "Frontera Tour" on July 11 by hosting a massive community town hall at The Plaza Theatre in Downtown El Paso, which drew well over 700 supporters. The event focused on government reform, affordability and public education. The event also featured an appearance by U.S. Rep. Veronica Escobar, D-El Paso.
Recent polling for the 2026 Texas U.S. Senate race shows a statistical dead heat between Talarico and Republican Ken Paxton, reported the Texas Tribune.
Gina Hinojosa: 'Proud to share this ticket' with Talarico
For her part, Democratic Texas governor candidate Gina Hinojosa has been a stalwart supporter of Talarico.
During their joint campaign trail, Hinojosa has focused heavily on praising Talarico’s political background and emphasizing their shared mission to transform Texas government.
In official campaign statements, Hinojosa highlighted Talarico's personal roots and working-class experience, noting that he is "an eighth-generation Texan and a former middle school teacher who flipped a Trump district."
She has pointed to their collaborative history in Austin, stating, "he's been standing beside me in Austin, fighting the billionaire mega-donors who have bought our state Legislature and turned it against working people."
Hinojosa frequently underscores that she is "proud to share this ticket" with Talarico. During a joint rally, she remarked, "If we win together, we can do something Texas hasn't seen in a long time. We can build real power to lower costs, protect public schools and stop Republicans from using our state as their personal piggy bank."
Important dates for 2026 Texas election
The last day to register to vote for the General Election is Oct. 5, either online, by mail, or in person.
Early voting starts Oct. 19 and runs through Oct. 30. The absentee ballot request deadline is Oct. 23 for mail requests or Oct. 19 for in-person requests. The absentee ballot return deadline is Nov. 3, by mail or in person on Election Day.
Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 3.
Kristian Jaime is the Top Story Reporter for the El Paso Times and is reachable at Kjaime@elpasotimes.com.
This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: Gov. Greg Abbott, Gina Hinojosa talk Talarico in Texas governor race
