James Talarico is back on the campaign trail. At a CNN and Jubilee town hall on Oct. 14, the U.S. Senate candidate made the case for why Texas should elect its first Democrat in the 21st century by prioritizing economic issues, immigration reform and working across the aisle.
“I am tired of us being divided into teams: left versus right, blue versus red, urban versus rural,” Talarico told the crowd, which was divided by political party, at the top of the town hall. “The truth is we're all on the same team.”
It was a stark contrast to the image of Talarico that Republicans have put out in recent days, which range from Vice President JD Vance’s blatantly homophobic joke to the bizarre, false statement from President Donald Trump that the state lawmaker
was recently off the campaign trail because he got sick from eating meat after being vegan for years. Earlier in the week, a right-wing conspiracy theory spread online that Talarico was receiving mental health treatment at an Ohio hospital, which both the Talarico campaign and the hospital itself proved to be untrue.
“Conspiracy theorists can post anything they want on the internet,” Talarico said during the town hall. “They get clicks. The billionaires who own these platforms get rich. We all get angry, and nobody's life gets any better. Conspiracy theories don't put food on the table. They don't put gas in the tank. They don't actually improve our communities.”
It’s clear that Republicans are doing this because they see the writing on the wall: They picked a bad candidate in Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, who refuses to debate the Democratic nominee. Polling clearly shows the GOP has something to worry about.
Talarico is exactly who Texans need if they want things to improve
It was a strong showing from Talarico – one that, if the undecided voters of Texas paid attention to it, might persuade them to vote for the Democrat. He was clear in his policy plans and political beliefs while connecting the issues to his personal experiences and faith.
He got choked up speaking about his own experience being diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes in 2018 and paying $684 for his first round of insulin.
“One, I want to roll back the cuts to the Affordable Care Act, because those cuts are driving up premiums, sometimes $1,000 a month for Texans,” Talarico said when asked about legislation he would introduce if elected. “I want to cap the cost of more lifesaving drugs like EpiPens and cancer drugs. And then I think we need a robust public option that can compete with the for-profit health insurance companies in this country.”
Talarico is clearly more moderate than he presented himself to be in the Democratic primary election and made his beliefs clear during the town hall. He said he does not support abolishing Immigration and Customs Enforcement. He defended the oil and gas industries, saying he would stand up to his own party if it threatened them. He is a capitalist, although he said he does not support the current state of our economy, which he calls “crony capitalism.”
In other ways, Talarico made clear his strong progressive beliefs: He was steadfast in supporting abortion rights in Texas, which has a total abortion ban. He said he wants to get rid of super PACs. He wants to raise teacher pay.
While I do find some of the positions he took at the town hall frustrating on a personal level, I realize that I’m judging him as a New York resident, not a Texas one. I believe that he is the most progressive option for Texas, and he’s a pretty good one.
Paxton keeps hiding and hoping Texans will be blind to his failures
In the second half of the town hall, voters debated Talarico on issues they disagreed on. This was the time when the Senate candidate got the hardest questions, including a question from a rabbi about Israel and a small business owner who asked him about his previous statement that “God is nonbinary.”
Throughout, Talarico remained composed, agreed to disagree at points while trying to find common ground overall.
While I appreciate that CNN had voters from across the political spectrum represented at the event, it would have been even better to see Talarico debate Paxton. Too bad the Republican is nowhere to be found.
The Texas attorney general has refused to debate his opponent to this point. Paxton, known for being a weak public speaker with a tarnished record, knows he would look foolish. Yet I worry that the lack of a debate leaves undecided voters without the opportunity to hear from Republicans.
Republican leaders are clearly scared of Talarico. They should be. From what I saw at the town hall, he has what it takes to win over undecided voters and turn out the vote among Democrats. Texans need to look past the partisan blinders Republicans rely on to win, because they lose on substance.
Follow USA TODAY columnist Sara Pequeño on Bluesky: @sarapequeno.bsky.social
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Republicans are scared of Talarico. CNN town hall shows why | Opinion
