Watch: Talarico Gets Screamed at by Angry Black Voter at Houston Town Hall

redstate.com

Don't assume just because it's Texas that people will realize that the Democratic candidate James Talarico is too extreme because of all the weird and radical things he's said in the past. He is going all in to remake himself into an "acceptable" Texas candidate. Republicans need to go all in to call him out on his radical positions.

However, one of the things he would absolutely need to have a chance in Texas is support from black Democratic voters. There has been concern among Democrats about whether Talarico has that, particularly given that the Democratic primary battle with Rep. Jasmine Crockett (TX-30) did not end on a happy note. And she's gotten upset when people suggested she should have to campaign for him.

In June, she said of Talarico's standing among black voters, “I’ve not heard a bunch of kumbaya. People don’t seem to be convinced at this point."

Latest Talarico Info Raises Some Questions, May Really Hurt Him in Texas

Some black voters are not happy with him.

Veteran Democratic strategist Ashley Etienne, a former advisor to President Barack Obama and Vice President Kamala Harris, said that despite Talarico’s history of controversial statements, she believes he is "incredibly well positioned" to become the first Democrat to flip a Texas Senate seat blue in decades. However, she identified one major vulnerability, saying Black voters are "feeling like they were betrayed" by "what happened to Jasmine Crockett."

Talarico felt some of that wrath during a town hall in Houston over the weekend that has gone viral. Kayla Guo of the Texas Tribune noted the "supportive, but hostile environment."

Supportive but definitely a more hostile environment at @jamestalarico’s Houston town hall today. Many people are pressing him on his Black outreach.
One attendee shouts “this is why Black Texans don’t trust you” when his staff says they have time for one more question. #TXSEN
— Kayla Guo (@kaylaguo_) July 19, 2026

She said he was being pressed on his black outreach and that one person shouted, "This is why Black Texans don’t trust you,” when his staff says they have time for one more question.

Then it was this exchange that got a lot of eyes, as a woman shouts at him, "You stay here, you answer our questions, or you suffer the consequences!" A man then says, "Say it with your chest," encouraging her.

Attendee speaks out toward end of questioning saying @jamestalarico needs to stay that group waited 45 minutes through his speech — crowd getting tense pic.twitter.com/SVMHglvoCd
— Faith Bugenhagen (@FBugenhagen_) July 19, 2026

Talarico tried to mollify her, saying, "I appreciate you coming here."

But it didn't sound like it was working. She responded, "I did it for my people, not for you!" which got some reaction from the audience.

While it's hard to assess just how deep that disturbance goes, obviously, any at all can be a problem for him, especially with polls showing the race to be very tight. Real Clear Politics has Paxton slightly up at +0.6.

Editor’s Note: The 2026 Midterms will determine the fate of President Trump’s America First agenda. Republicans must maintain control of both chambers of Congress.

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