Black elected officials said the Senate nominee had more work to do to engage voters in their communities, while noting there was still time to do so before November.
Kayla Guo
Kayla Guo covers state politics and government. Before joining the Tribune, she covered Congress for The New York Times as a reporting fellow based in Washington, D.C. Kayla has also covered transportation policy for Politico and local news for The Raleigh News & Observer, and she was a part-time digital producer for The Boston Globe. She graduated from Brown University, where she studied public policy and served as editor-in-chief and president of the independent student newspaper. She was born and raised on Long Island, New York. She is based in Austin.
Posted in
2026 Texas Elections
James Talarico, Gina Hinojosa attack GOP with parallel populist pitches at Texas Democratic Convention
The U.S. Senate and gubernatorial nominees accused Republicans, including opponents Ken Paxton and Greg Abbott, of fixating on culture wars to distract from higher costs and alleged graft.
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2026 Texas Elections
Dolores Huerta tells Texas Democrats to organize and “save democracy” in surprise convention appearance
The iconic Latina labor and civil rights leader, who is 96, voiced optimism that community organizing could draw voters in a state with some of the lowest turnout anywhere in the nation.
Posted in
2026 Texas Elections
Cornyn and Crockett remain top skeptics of their party’s U.S. Senate nominees after primary losses
The outgoing lawmakers have cast doubt on whether their respective primary opponents, Ken Paxton and James Talarico, can win in November.
Posted in
2026 Texas Elections
Ken Paxton and James Talarico are neck and neck in U.S. Senate race, new poll finds
The vast majority of Republicans indicated they had moved on from the bitter GOP primary and now support Paxton. Talarico had commanding leads among independents and moderates.
Posted in
2026 Texas Elections
Texas Democrats look to rally behind their ticket, draw national attention at state convention
U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders is headlining the event, as Democrats seek to drum up support and excitement for James Talarico and other down-ballot candidates ahead of November.
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2026 Texas Elections
James Talarico launches Spanish-language World Cup TV ad
The more than $800,000 ad buy — the first by either candidate in the general election — continues the Austin Democrat’s push to win Latino voters as his race against GOP nominee Ken Paxton ramps up.
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2026 Texas Elections
New pro-Talarico super PAC wants to give GOP voters “permission to defect”
Moment of Truth PAC, launched by a bipartisan group of campaign operatives, is aiming to spend a staggering $62 million. Much of it would be used to spotlight Ken Paxton’s controversies.
Posted in
2026 Texas Elections
Democrat Gina Hinojosa launches first ad of Texas governor’s race, to be streamed during NBA Finals
The spot will stream throughout the Spurs-Knicks series on ESPN+, depicting Gov. Greg Abbott as a basketball-playing string puppet committing “turnover after turnover of our money to his donors.”
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2026 Texas Elections
National Democrats aim to flip 12 Texas House seats under newly expanded target list
Republicans would have just a 76-74 majority in the Texas House if the Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee succeeds in flipping its targeted GOP districts.
