Talarico rallies draw huge crowds in South Texas
Thousands turned out for State Rep. James Talarico’s South Texas tour, reflecting the growing energy behind his progressive campaign.
Over the weekend, State Rep. James Talarico made several stops in South Texas as he seeks to win over this key region of voters.
Talarico is currently seeking the Democratic nomination for U.S. Senate and is running against Colin Allred, a former NFL player and member of Congress, as well as Terry Virts, a veteran and former NASA astronaut.
The South Texas region has been trending toward Republicans since at least 2020 and the Talarico campaign’s positive reception has provided the Texas Democratic Party with much-needed hope for taking back this region in future elections.
A spokesperson for the Talarico campaign said more than 2,000 people attended his rallies throughout South Texas, illustrating the strong enthusiasm for a progressive campaign in this Trump-leaning region. Talarico himself hopes that his message will resonate with South Texas voters, including those that may have supported Donald Trump.
“They promised to drain the swamp, but look at where we are just one year later. Everything is more expensive, working families are falling further behind, and corruption in Washington [D.C.] is the worst it’s ever been.” — Talarico
Statewide Democrats have previously tried and failed to generate enough support and enthusiasm in South Texas to win a statewide race. Colin Allred, for example, previously ran for U.S. Senate in 2024 against Ted Cruz and lost. Despite being a native to Brownsville himself, Allred’s centrist campaign performed dismally in South Texas.
Talarico’s progressive-focused campaign aims to resonate with these voters in a way that Democrats have not been able to in recent years. If he can pull this off and drive up turnout, it offers the Texas Democratic Party a real chance at winning a statewide race for the first time in thirty years.