Senate Hopeful James Talarico Brings His 'Clear Eyes, Full Hearts' Tour to a Packed Hogg Auditorium at UT Austin
The Democratic state representative pitched affordability, public schools and health care to a packed University of Texas auditorium on Friday night, in a Senate race polling shows tight against Attorney General Ken Paxton.
U.S. Senate hopeful James Talarico brought his campaign to the University of Texas at Austin on Friday evening, speaking to a packed Hogg Auditorium five days into early voting, KUT News reported on Monday.
The event was part of Talarico's "Clear Eyes, Full Hearts" tour — a nod to Friday Night Lights — and the Democratic state representative, whose district includes Austin and Pflugerville, opened with a football story. "This time of year there is no better place to be than a high school football game," he said. "The band, the roar of the crowd, the chill in the air. No matter who you are or what you look like, everyone in town is there for the same reason… to root for the same team." He continued: "There is that moment in every game – the last play or the last drive – where you have to leave it all on the field. UT, we are in that moment."
On policy, Talarico reaffirmed his commitments to addressing affordability, improving the public school system and lowering healthcare costs, according to KUT. He was joined by Pooja Sethi, who is running for Texas House District 47, and Austin City Council Member Zo Qadri, who faces four opponents in his bid for re-election.
No Democrat has won a statewide contest in Texas in more than three decades, but polling indicates a tight race with Republican Attorney General Ken Paxton. A University of Texas/Texas Politics Project poll released last week showed Talarico up by 3 points; a University of Houston poll released Monday found an 11-point Talarico advantage among Latino voters, while rural voters overwhelmingly prefer Paxton, KUT reported. Paxton spoke at packed events in the Houston area earlier in the week, was scheduled in Laredo and Selma on Friday, and heads back to Central Texas on Tuesday with stops in New Braunfels and Georgetown.
Among those in the Hogg Auditorium crowd was Madison Walker, a UT junior studying chemistry who told KUT she had already cast her ballot: "There are just so many different people here from so many different backgrounds, and I want to make sure that I am present to show that someone from my background and someone like me also believes in his message." Early voting runs through Friday, October 30, and Election Day is Tuesday, November 3.
