Texas Senate Candidate Chooses North Texas Over El Paso Rally

James Talarico, the Democratic candidate for the Texas Senate, opted to bypass a rally in El Paso featuring Senator Bernie Sanders on Monday night. Instead, he focused on campaign events in North Texas, hundreds of miles away. This decision comes as his competitive race against Republican Attorney General Ken Paxton enters its crucial final weeks.

During the El Paso event at the Abraham Chavez Theatre, Sanders shared the stage with prominent figures including former Representative Beto O’Rourke and Democratic Representatives Greg Casar and Veronica Escobar, coinciding with the start of early voting ahead of the November 3 midterm elections.

Talarico held a rally at North Crowley High School in Fort Worth as part of his “Clear Eyes, Full Hearts” campaign initiative, which followed his visit to Denton earlier that day.

Fox News Digital reached out to Talarico’s campaign to inquire about his decision to hold a separate event instead of joining the other Democrats, who took the opportunity in El Paso to bolster his Senate bid and criticize the hefty spending by Republican backers.

O’Rourke addressed supporters at the rally, highlighting that Republicans had already spent a staggering $368 million campaigning against Talarico, portraying this as a sign of desperation among his opponents.

Meanwhile, Casar endorsed Talarico, suggesting that his election would significantly support the Democratic agenda. Notably, Sanders, in his speech, chose not to mention Talarico directly but rather focused his critique on the influence of wealthy political donors in the electoral process.

Sanders emphasized the growing concern over billionaires exerting substantial financial power over elections, pushing for early voting and framing the midterms as a critical fight against this influence.

At his rally in Fort Worth, Talarico echoed these sentiments, directing criticism towards Paxton and wealthy donors like Elon Musk regarding their sway over the Senate race. He pointed out issues like the affordability crisis as being tied to broader corruption in politics.

Talarico portrayed his candidacy as transcending traditional party boundaries, insisting, “This election shouldn’t be about the Democratic Party or the Republican Party. It’s bigger than that.”

Currently, Talarico and Paxton are vying for the Senate seat being vacated by Republican Senator John Cornyn. This race has captured national interest, as Texas Democrats aim for their first Senate seat win since 1988.