Amid criticism, Talarico increases outreach to Black voters in Texas with $25 million pledge
Democratic Senate candidate James Talarico made headlines last week after he made a $25 million pledge to increase outreach to Black Texans and maximize their turnout in the all-important midterm election.
He explained to reporters what that pledge would look like.
"You're going to see paid advertisements directed toward black voters. You're going to see organizing, folks showing up at doorsteps, folks showing up at community events, registering voters, speaking to voters, listening to voters," he said.
His announcement came after complaints and criticism from some in the Black community that Talarico wasn't working hard enough to earn their votes.
One tense moment came when a woman demanded that he answer more questions after a campaign staffer announced Talarico would answer one more. He stayed longer to answer more questions. Before that exchange with Talarico, other elected Democrats from Houston spoke on his behalf. They, too, acknowledged the concerns of Black voters.
State Representative Lauren Ashley Simmons, D-Houston, told the crowd, "I'm not here to hide James from accountability, because the road to victory runs through Harris County. But you're not going to win statewide without the Black vote, and James knows that too. If he doesn't know, but he does know, he's going to learn today."
But Simmons, who initially supported Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett, urged supporters to get ready for November and rally behind Talarico now.
"We have a pathway to victory, we have a community to fight for, and we have people who need us. James is at the top of the ticket, and I want him to win," she said.
Crockett endorsed Talarico the morning after the primary, but she is not actively campaigning for him. Talarico rallied supporters and acknowledged that he needs to do more to stay in contact with elected leaders who call him. Talarico told the crowd, "I have to say the amount of incoming has been a lot, and I am doing my best to return calls as fast as possible."
The concerns have been percolating for months. During a campaign stop in Fort Worth last Tuesday, CBS News Texas asked Talarico about why he thought this was still an issue.
"There is no way to win Texas without Black Texans. If we're going to do that effectively, we have to show up for, invest in, and listen to Black communities, and that's what we've been doing over the course of this campaign," he said.
"We've been convening Black business leaders, Black faith leaders, Black elected officials all over this state, in the biggest areas and in the smaller towns," added Talarico. "I've been visiting Black-owned businesses and Black churches all over Texas. I've been appearing on Black media here in DFW, Houston, and national Black media, and holding these town hall discussions, including in Houston on Sunday and in DeSoto yesterday. We are polling better with Black Texans than any Democrat in modern Texas history, and so we need to continue that process."
Jane Hope Hamilton, who served as the Texas State Director for President Joe Biden's 2020 campaign, said she thinks Talarico's campaign is improving its outreach to Black voters, but still has work to do.
"I think it was a rough start in the beginning, but we are starting to see that the campaign is beginning to understand how important this all is. So, I think he just has to stay at it," she said. "He's doing some of the right things, and I think right now, it's just having people understand, look, this is a priority for the campaign."
Hamilton said part of the problem is the unemployment rate in the Black community, which the St. Louis Federal Reserve Bank measured at 6.6% in June, higher than the overall national unemployment rate of 4.2% that same month. She also pointed to the homeownership rate of Black households. The St. Louis Fed said it was 44% in the first quarter.
"There's a pain right now in the African American community. There's a lot of angst right now. There's also a situation where at the National Democratic Party level, there's a lot of dissatisfaction," Hamilton said. "So, when you have all these layers and you're Talarico, and you're running, that means that you've got to show up and he is showing up. He has to demonstrate that he understands what is on the line for Black Texans."
"We also recently found that Democratic electoral politics is about an $8 billion industry, and only 1% of that money goes into the hands of Black Americans," she added, "so, he's also starting to address that with the announcement of this $25 million number."
Various independent polls have shown Talarico and Republican Ken Paxton are neck and neck, with a little more than three months left before Election Day.
Hamilton and other Democrats have said it is difficult for a Democratic candidate to win statewide, which hasn't happened since 1994. Hamilton said while Talarico is faring better in the polls than past statewide Democratic candidates, he still needs to ensure Black voters are enthusiastic about his campaign. She said to win statewide, Talarico will need to boost turnout among Black voters.
"In Dallas County, we need to be in the high 60's. That means African Americans who might not normally get out, who we need to make up that 13% of the total vote. We've got to push that number," Hamilton said, adding that Tarrant County has the third-largest concentration of African Americans in the state.
"We need Tarrant County at 53%," said Hamilton. "When you combine Dallas County and Tarrant County, there are essentially more African Americans than in Harris County. That's the regional impact. You have to maximize and get as many people as you can in terms of numbers to come out and vote. So, those base voters that the Democratic Party relies on, they've got to come out in full strength like they've never come out before."
Watch Eye On Politics at 7:30 Sunday morning on CBS News Texas on air and streaming
Follow Jack on X & Instagram: @cbs11jack