During Lotería Event Talarico Said the Loss of 92 Election Day Polling Sites Could Hit Black and Brown Communities Hardest, Calling on Supporters to “Outorganize”
James Talarico told San Antonio supporters Tuesday night that his campaign will have to “outorganize” and “outhustle” efforts he says are making it harder for Texans to vote, connecting newly approved polling-site reductions in Tarrant County to a broader campaign built around grassroots organizing and what he called “people power.”
The comments came hours after Tarrant County commissioners approved 224 Election Day polling locations for the Nov. 3 election, 92 fewer than the county used during the 2022 midterms.
When asked how his campaign plans to respond to reductions in polling access, particularly in Black and brown communities, Talarico pointed back to a message he had delivered to supporters just minutes earlier: volunteer.
“The only way we’re gonna overcome this voter suppression is by all of us showing up at people’s doorsteps, calling them on the phone, sending them text messages, so that they know how to overcome these obstacles, so they know how to fulfill their God-given rights at the ballot box,” Talarico said.
“And that’s particularly true in our Black and brown communities across the state of Texas.”
He added: “The only way to overcome this voter suppression is to outorganize, outhustle these kind of tactics.”
Related: Tarrant County Polling Locations Could Drop by 92 Ahead of Midterms
The county’s Republican leadership has rejected accusations that the reduced number of polling places amounts to voter suppression. County officials have said sites were selected based on factors including voter usage, facility availability and whether locations could meet legal and accessibility requirements.
For Talarico, however, the issue fit into the larger argument he brought to San Antonio: that his campaign’s ability to organize voters will matter as much as — if not more than — money, polling or conventional political power.
‘We Are Building a Movement’
Talarico held the community Lotería event as his Democratic campaign for U.S. Senate enters its final stretch against Republican Ken Paxton.
Standing before supporters, he described his campaign as an effort to assemble Texans across political, geographic and demographic lines.
“We are building a movement to take back our state and take back our country,” Talarico said. “We are uniting Texans onto one team to take on this broken, corrupt political system.”
He said the campaign has traveled across Texas, drawing crowds in both Democratic and Republican areas, and has recruited more than 59,000 volunteers.
Talarico joked that some supporters approach him after events and quietly admit they are not Democrats “like they’re in the witness protection program.”
That crossover support, he argued, is evidence of a broader dissatisfaction with the state’s political leadership.
Talarico also emphasized that his campaign does not accept corporate PAC money, contrasting grassroots fundraising and volunteer organizing with the financial power traditionally associated with statewide campaigns.
“I know that big money is powerful,” he told supporters, “but it is nothing compared to people power.”
Speaking to media afterward, Talarico said the format of the lotería event itself was intentional.
“So many political events are kind of, the candidate gets up and talks at the people,” he said. “We wanted to do something where we bring folks together, build community, have some fun, support a great small business and have an opportunity for folks to talk with each other rather than just listening to the candidate.”
‘Our Government’s Priorities Are Completely Backwards’
Beyond the election mechanics, Talarico used much of his time to outline the broader political argument behind his campaign.
“Our government’s priorities are completely backwards,” he said.
Talarico called for closing tax loopholes for billionaires while investing more heavily in public education and health care.
“I wish our government would close billionaire tax loopholes like they close our public schools,” he said.
Beyond voting access, Talarico used much of his San Antonio appearance to make an economic argument centered on affordability, public education and health care.
“Our government’s priorities are completely backwards,” he told supporters.
Talarico called for closing tax loopholes for billionaires while investing more heavily in public schools and health care.
“I wish our government would close billionaire tax loopholes like they close our public schools,” he said.
He also repeatedly turned that affordability argument toward Paxton, including a luxury watch the Republican Senate nominee was recently photographed wearing while campaigning in San Antonio. The watch has been identified in reports as a Hublot Aerofusion King Gold valued at roughly $41,000. Paxton was also wearing a Four Seasons Orlando polo during the block walk. It is not clear whether Paxton purchased the watch himself.
Talarico had already seized on the image before Tuesday’s event, writing, “Nothing says you understand the affordability crisis like wearing a $41,000 watch and a Four Seasons polo.”
He argued that every child should have access to a high-quality public education and said Americans should not face bankruptcy because they become sick.
“We can make billionaires pay their fair share in taxes and ensure that every single child in this city, in this state, in this country, has access to a high-quality public education,” Talarico said.
“And we can … finally ensure that no American goes bankrupt just because they get sick.”
Credit : Ken Paxton/Facebook; Hublot
Immigration was also a major theme both in his speech and in questions afterward.
Talarico said the federal government should focus immigration enforcement on cartels, human trafficking and violent criminals rather than immigrant families and small-business owners.
“We need a senator who’s gonna hold ICE accountable,” he said.
“ICE should be cracking down on the cartels, not our communities. ICE should be hunting down human traffickers, not moms and babies.”
At the same time, he said the country can protect immigrants who contribute to their communities while supporting border security.
“We got to protect the hardworking immigrants who are contributing to our economy, contributing to this country every single day, and fight for common-sense border security to keep us all safe,” Talarico said. “We can and must do both of those things.”
A San Antonio Pitch Built Around Organizing
Talarico also acknowledged the storms that recently hit San Antonio, praising residents who helped neighbors and saying the city needs leaders in Austin and Washington who will “show up for San Antonio.”
But his central pitch Tuesday night repeatedly returned to participation.
Related: San Antonio Thunderstorm Knocks Out Power to More Than 100,000 as City Cleans Up
Whether discussing the Senate race, polling locations, voter registration or the broader political system, Talarico argued that his campaign’s strength will depend on people becoming directly involved.
“We need as many people as possible to sign up to volunteer,” he said, “so that we can empower Texans to make their voices heard in the democratic process.”
That organizing message has become particularly relevant after the Tarrant County decision.
For Talarico, the answer to fewer polling places is not only challenging the policy itself, but making sure voters know where to go, how to cast their ballots and why they should still show up.
“Big money, I think voter suppression, these things are powerful,” Talarico said. “We can’t underestimate them, but nothing compares to people power.”
