‘Threat to their corrupt system:’ Talarico on his victory in TX Democratic primary
State Rep. James Talarico, the Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate, sought to welcome Jasmine Crockett supporters, non-voters and disgruntled Republicans to his base of supporters, as he looked ahead to the November general election.
Talarico won his Tuesday primary against Crockett, a U.S. Representative from Dallas. The Austin-area state representative will face either incumbent Sen. John Cornyn or Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton in the November general election. The Republican nominee will be picked in a May runoff, after neither Cornyn nor Paxton got more than 50% of votes.
Talarico, who ended his election night watch party with a speech but no victory declaration, addressed a crowd at the same Austin concert venue Wednesday evening, in what was billed as his official victory speech.
In his remarks, he repeated many of his campaign trial talking points, such as unity and taking on billionaires who he said seek to divide Texans. But before he got to the heart of his message, the Presbyterian seminarian and former San Antonio school district teacher spoke directly to Crockett’s supporters.
He thanked Crockett, whom he called a colleague and friend. The two previously served together in the state House.
“I am so grateful for her voice and her leadership,” Talarico said. “It was an honor to run this race with her. To the congresswoman’s supporters: I know I wasn’t your first choice, but I hope to earn your trust and earn your support. As your Democratic nominee, it’s on me to ensure you feel welcomed in, represented by and proud of this campaign. Together we’re going to do something extraordinary.”
In the early hours of Wednesday, Talarico announced he’d won the seat. Crockett conceded later that morning, urging her supporters to rally around Democratic nominees in November.
“Texas is primed to turn blue, and we must remain united because this is bigger than any one person,” Crockett said in the aftermath of the high-profile, expensive primary, which wasn’t without its contentious points.
The race became increasingly heated as it neared the finish, grabbing headlines when Talarico faced scrutiny for allegedly calling U.S. Rep. Colin Allred a “mediocre Black man.” A political action committee supporting Talarico challenged Crockett’s electability. Crockett’s campaign has criticized the PAC for “being “funded by billionaires and the Epstein Class” and she has described ads from the group as racist.
Talarico urged love of one’s neighbor and decried a broken political system during the roughly 10- minute speech.
“If you hate politics, and you’ve never voted before, you have a home in this campaign,” he said. “If you have voted for Democrats but you’re tired of DC Democrats always folding, you have a home in this campaign. And if you voted for Donald Trump, but you are fed up with the extremism and the corruption in our government, you also have a home in this campaign.”
It doesn’t matter what happens in the Republican runoff between Cornyn and Paxton, Talarico said.
“We already know who we’re running against: The billionaire mega-donors and their corrupt political system, not any one politician,” he said. “Not any one political party. We are running against the broken system and the powerful people who broke it there.”
Talarico continued, “They’re scared of the movement we are building, and they should be.”
They’re going to throw everything they have at him, Talarico said.
“They’ll call me a radical leftist,” he said. “They’re going to call me a fake Christian. They’ll call our movement un-Texan, un-American. They’ll call us a threat. The only truth is: We are a threat. We are a threat to their corrupt system.”
