Talarico unveils "New American Dream" plan at Arlington rally

Against a backdrop resembling a party convention, Democratic Senate candidate James Talarico delivered what his campaign called a major policy speech. Before 1,300 supporters in Arlington, he laid out his vision for what he's calling the "New American Dream." 

"I'll fight to unrig this economy," Talarico said. "I'll fight to raise your pay. I'll fight to lower your costs. And unlike Ken Paxton, I'll fight to keep your hard-earned money where it belongs, in your pocket."

Talarico blamed billionaires for the affordability crisis and said he wants to rebuild labor unions, cancel medical debt, and stop hospitals and insurance companies from overcharging patients.

He also proposed increasing pay for workers. 

"It's time to raise the minimum wage and expand overtime pay so workers can actually share in the wealth they create," he said. "It's time to repeal the Big Ugly Bill's tax breaks for the top 1% and give that $1 trillion dollars to the middle class in the form of a cost-of-living tax cut."

Following his speech, Talarico did not take questions from reporters about his proposals. With three months before Election Day, three recent polls show Talarico ahead of Republican Ken Paxton by two to three percentage points. 

At a rally in Allen on Tuesday night, Paxton told reporters he believed he would turn the polls around.

Talarico chose Tarrant County – one of Texas' major battlegrounds this November – to unveil his "New American Dream." From here, he plans to discuss the proposal in 10 other cities across the state and return to North Texas at the end of the month.

Watch Eye On Politics at 7:30 a.m. Sunday on CBS News Texas on air and streaming.

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