A movement “to take back our state and take back our country” is building momentum, Texas Democratic Senate nominee James Talarico told a crowd of more than 1,000 people in El Paso Saturday night.
“And on Nov. 3rd, we are going to do something extraordinary. We are going to end 30 years of one-party rule in this state,” Talarico said. Texas has not elected a Democrat to the U.S. Senate since 1988 when Lloyd Bentsen won the seat – a streak Talarico said he’s hoping to break.
Talarico, who faces Republican Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton in the November general election, held a town hall at the Plaza Theatre in Downtown as part of his 750-mile Frontera Tour. He also has stops planned in Marfa, Eagle Pass, Del Rio, Laredo and McAllen in the coming week.
Talarico, 37, and Paxton, 63, have launched attack campaigns against each other since Paxton easily defeated longtime Republican incumbent John Cronyn, 74, in the May GOP runoff after being endorsed by President Donald Trump. Talarico defeated Rep. Jasmine Crockett in the Democratic primary in March.
Talarico has called Paxton the most “corrupt politician in America,” campaigning against corruption and government reform; while Paxton called his Democratic opponent “Tala-freako” for his progressive positions on social issues. A state representative from Austin whose term ends in January 2027, Talarico is a Presbyterian seminarian.
Paxton was indicted on felony security fraud charges in 2015 and impeached by the Texas House on allegations of abuse of office in 2023. He was acquitted of the impeachment articles.
“Ken Paxton has escaped accountability, but accountability is coming Nov. 3,” Talarico said.
Talarico said the first bill he will introduce will be an anit-corruption bill that would include efforts to ban corporate and secret political action committees, implement term limits and reform the U.S. Supreme Court, among others.
The former public school teacher opened his El Paso speech by saying he ran for office not to be served, but to serve, then focused heavily on fighting government corruption, affordability and health care – key points in his bid to defeat Paxton.
“We have folks all across this community, all across the state, who are struggling to afford the basics: groceries, gas, utilities, healthcare, prescription drugs, the things that we need to survive and that’s because we have a government that only works for corporate special interests and billionaire PAC donors,” Talarico said.
Rep. Veronica Escobar, who introduced Talarico, also encouraged supporters that together they can turn the state blue.
“I want to tell you we need you, we need your hard work, we need your heart, we need your energy, we need your passion. All of us here know (that) after three decades of single-party rule in Texas, things are not good – things are not good, my friends,” Escobar said.
This week, GOP U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz in a call to Sean Hannity’s radio show said Talarico has a “real chance” of flipping the state before saying he thinks Republicans will win and “keep Texas red,’ the Texas Tribune reported.
SEE ALSO: At El Paso ICE facility, James Talarico argues for ‘pro-immigrant, pro-security’ approach
Talarico made campaign stops in El Paso in October and again in February ahead of the primary, and promised to have an El Paso office if he wins the Senate seat.
Saturday’s El Paso event drew first-time voters, people that had never attended a political event before and long-time Democrats. People held some hand-made signs that read “I promise to vote” and others held the “Talarico for Texas” signs that were being handed out for the occasion. The other side of the signs read “Love thy Neighbor.”
Among them was 10-year-old Lennox Cobos.
“What will you do for me?” Cobos asked.
Talarico responded that he wants to get rid of voucher programs that he called “welfare for the wealthy,” increase teacher pay and reverse cuts to education funding.
In responding to a woman who asked about medical care for the elderly, Talarico said both the healthcare system and elder care are broken and need to work for everyone.
“We are the wealthiest country in human history, healthcare is a right,” he said.
The race is also drawing record campaign dollars, with Talarico raising $30 million from April through June, his campaign said this week – more than three times what Paxton’s campaign said the GOP candidate raised in that reporting period.
Since launching his campaign in September, Talarico has raised more than $70 million – dwarfing Paxton’s $16.7 million since April 2025.
The race is one of 35 Senate seats up for election in November. U.S. senators serve six-year terms and are paid $174,000 a year.
The last day to register to vote in the Nov. 3 midterm election is Oct. 5. Early voting is Oct. 19-30.
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