James Talarico gets a warm welcome at HBCU classic as Black voter push enters final stretch

The Texas Senate candidate spent hours at Prairie View A&M University meeting students, alumni and community members as his campaign ramps up its outreach to Black voters.

Texas U.S. Senate candidate James Talarico stepped onto the campus of Prairie View A&M University for the HBCU’s football classic against Grambling State University, drawing a warm reception from Black voters as he campaigns in the final weeks before the midterms. The Democratic nominee, who has been heavily courting Black voters ahead of the Nov. 3 election against Ken Paxton, spent hours on the campus meeting with university leaders, students and spectators for the annual State Fair Classic.

Talarico was met with thunderous applause from the more than 50,000 attendees as he was introduced onto the field at Panther Stadium. The 37-year-old Democrat was described by the announcer as someone who will take his “fight against corruption to Washington, and win, to bring power back to working people.”

The Sunday engagement saw Talarico moving through crowds and introducing himself to attendees, who appeared to revel at the sight of the U.S. Senate candidate, whose national profile has steadily grown throughout this election cycle. One delighted attendee embraced Talarico with a bear hug, lifting him off the ground as he yelled, “Talarico, man! You got my vote, baby!”

Talarico also met with Mr. and Miss Prairie View A&M University, Landon Mumphrey and Raniyah Edwards, and their royal courts. Edwards, whom Talarico greeted as “your royal highness,” told Talarico she is organizing a campus march to the polls, to which Talarico offered his campaign’s assistance.

Jamarr Brown, a campaign strategist and former executive director of the Texas Democratic Party, told theGrio that Talarico’s time at the State Fair Classic was time well spent.

“You have to meet people where they are,” he said. “We told James Talarico at the beginning that he has to show up. That’s the baseline for any Democratic candidate in Texas to show up. Show up where Black voters actually gather as a community.”

Brown, who has previously worked closely with Talarico during the Democrat’s time in the Texas State House of Representatives, said the U.S. Senate candidate spent several hours at the HBCU campus, where he met with the football teams and coaches of Prairie View and Grambling, the houses of the campus’s Divine Nine fraternities and sororities, and even participated in tailgate.

“Black Texans can tell when you are passing through for a photo-op and when you are actually present to be with the community. At the State Fair Classic and at tailgates down MLK Boulevard in Dallas, folks were excited to see James in our community,” State Rep. Aicha Davis, whose district includes the campus of Prairie View, told theGrio of Talarico’s visit.

She added, “He knows we are tired of being treated like an afterthought, and James is ready to listen and treat us with the respect and importance we deserve.”

Saturday’s engagements are a part of months-long efforts by the Talarico campaign to maximize its outreach with Black voters, who make up a sizable and critical portion of the Democratic electorate in Texas. Texas also has a the largest population of eligible Black voters (4.5 million) across the United States.

Since defeating the popular U.S. Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett in the U.S. Senate Democratic primary, Talarico has worked to win over Black voters who didnt support him in the March contest. He’s traveled across the state, particularly in Houston and Dallas, to host town halls and meet with community leaders and residents.

In September, Talarico pledged a $25 million investment in Black voter outreach and veteran Black political operatives to advise the campaign. Last week, the Talarico campaign announced it was joining Black faith leaders and Black-led voter engagement groups for their “Souls to the Polls” canvassing partnership.

Brown tells theGrio that Talarico’s continued investment and direct engagement with Black voters shows he’s “doing the work.”

“It’s him showing up, and I think that matters. It’s not that he’s just sending around surrogates, which is important, but him coming and being in community with Black people is what they want to see now,” he said. “What he has to demonstrate is, outside of showing up, I’m going to fight for you, and that’s what Black voters want.”