{"id":17051,"date":"2026-07-25T19:25:50","date_gmt":"2026-07-25T14:25:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/?p=17051"},"modified":"2026-07-25T19:25:50","modified_gmt":"2026-07-25T14:25:50","slug":"talarico-trying-to-win-back-hispanics-along-texas-border-who-swung-to-gop","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/?p=17051","title":{"rendered":"Talarico trying to win back Hispanics along Texas border who swung to GOP"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><script>\r\n  atOptions = {\r\n    'key' : '644b717812d811d6a1c1fc5b6ccd6fa6',\r\n    'format' : 'iframe',\r\n    'height' : 90,\r\n    'width' : 728,\r\n    'params' : {}\r\n  };\r\n<\/script>\r\n<script src=\"https:\/\/www.highperformanceformat.com\/644b717812d811d6a1c1fc5b6ccd6fa6\/invoke.js\"><\/script>\r\n<br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div data-testid=\"prism-article-body\">\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao MvWXB TjIXL aGjvy ebVHC \"><span class=\"oyrPY qlwaB AGxeB  \">EAGLE PASS, Texas &#8212; <\/span>The black campaign bus with \u201cTalarico for Texas\u201d across its side came to a steaming stop at Memo\u2019s Restaurant along the U.S.-Mexico border. Bibi Valdez\u2019s eyes lit up. She marched in heels over to the bus, phone camera trained on its door, chatting about the locals whose political leanings shifted two years ago. <\/p>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \">\u201cA lot of people, for some reason, especially the Hispanics, changed to Republican,&#8221; she said as security guards created space for James Talarico, the Democratic U.S. Senate candidate. \u201cI just don\u2019t see what the logic was.\u201d <\/p>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \">Talarico is on a quest to become the first Democrat to win a statewide election in Texas since 1994. Memo&#8217;s Restaurant was one stop on a winding trip along the border this month, where he was searching for support from the predominantly Hispanic counties that became national political curiosities after the 2024 election.<\/p>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \">Once consistently Democratic, most had voted for Republican President Donald Trump, some by a lot, as <a class=\"zZygg UbGlr iFzkS qdXbA WCDhQ DbOXS tqUtK GpWVU iJYzE \" data-testid=\"prism-linkbase\" href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/trump-latinos-vote-affordability-midterm-immigration-democrats-dd9be8324c9866b45cc18c868be9efd0\">Hispanic voters shifted to the right<\/a> nationally. Along this stretch of border, residents and elected leaders alike tend to point to two reasons: the rise in both border crossings and everyday prices. One dropped dramatically since 2024, and it wasn\u2019t the cost of eggs.<\/p>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \">While Trump has tamped down on illegal border crossings \u2014 once Democrats&#8217; Achilles&#8217; heel \u2014 the cost of living is still high, giving Talarico a topic he&#8217;s been hitting on repeat as he campaigns against Republican Ken Paxton, the Texas attorney general. <\/p>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \">Whether Talarico&#8217;s message can sway Hispanic voters who moved to the GOP to return to the Democratic Party will help decide the Senate race, and could determine whether Democrats can win control of the Senate. <\/p>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \">So Talarico, a former middle school teacher and state lawmaker, was taking time to shake hands and pose for photos with people outside Memo&#8217;s Restaurant, which was at capacity with people wanting to see him. Valdez, waiting her turn, pondered aloud why those she knew had voted Republican.<\/p>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \">\u201cThey thought a better economy, but obviously it didn\u2019t,\u201d she said, before beaming for a photo with the candidate.<\/p>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \">Inside Memo&#8217;s Restaurant, the crowd was revved up, shoulder to shoulder, below beating fans, as Talarico opened his speech.<\/p>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \">\u201cSo many politicians show up at the border to demonize and weaponize,\u201d Talarico said. \u201cWe are doing the opposite. We are showing the beauty of our border communities.\u201d <\/p>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \">It was one of the few times Talarico referenced the border during his stop, turning instead to an economy he says is rigged to help \u201cmega donors\u201d and criticizing Paxton as a \u201cpuppet politician&#8221; for the wealthy.<\/p>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \">\u201cWe can\u2019t get ahead no matter how hard we work, no matter how much we save, because the system is rigged against us,&#8221; he said. <\/p>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \">Talarico is not the first Democratic Senate candidate in recent years to draw crowds and give the party hope of winning in the reliably Republican state. <a class=\"zZygg UbGlr iFzkS qdXbA WCDhQ DbOXS tqUtK GpWVU iJYzE \" data-testid=\"prism-linkbase\" href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/2022-midterm-elections-abortion-texas-immigration-greg-abbott-1755386dd8b87b3c8ad4f7d8a051c215\">Beto O&#8217;Rourke<\/a> went on a similar mission <a class=\"zZygg UbGlr iFzkS qdXbA WCDhQ DbOXS tqUtK GpWVU iJYzE \" data-testid=\"prism-linkbase\" href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/2022-midterm-elections-greg-abbott-beto-orourke-stacey-abrams-21ba7d316eb383033b4369a083a5fa52\">in 2018 and failed<\/a>. <\/p>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \">Republicans remain confident about Texas, but Democrats see some reason for optimism. <\/p>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \">While Trump gained with Hispanic voters in 2024, opinions of the president have fallen among Hispanics overall since he took office, according to AP-NORC polling. Only 29% of Hispanic adults nationally approved of his performance as president in a June AP-NORC poll, an apparent drop from 41% at the start of his second term.<\/p>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \">In communities along the Rio Grande River, which defines the U.S.-Mexico border in Texas, the ebb and flow of migrants isn\u2019t an abstract political issue. People here still recall \u2014 often with empathy \u2014 hundreds huddled in reflective emergency blankets under a bridge, and the hit to local businesses and town coffers. <\/p>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \">Little aid, many said, came from President Joe Biden&#8217;s administration.<\/p>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \">\u201cIt was a nightmare because of him. Now, you don&#8217;t see no immigrants,&#8221; said Hector Flores, 72, sitting with his two friends at a McDonald\u2019s in Maverick County, about an hour&#8217;s drive south of Memo&#8217;s Restaurant.<\/p>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \">Maverick County had one of the sharpest swings toward Trump than any county in the country in 2024, from backing Biden by 10 percentage points in 2020 to supporting Trump by 19.<\/p>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \">The three men of varying political persuasions weren&#8217;t following the Senate race particularly closely. But the issues on their minds were the same ones Talarico and Paxton have been talking about, from high costs to ICE and social issues. <\/p>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \">Under past presidents, costs were OK, said Eduardo \u201cLalo\u201d Riojas, 73, who sat next to Flores. Now, \u201cYou go down to HEB to buy merchandise, groceries,&#8221; he said, trailing off without the right English word.<\/p>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \">\u201cExpensive,\u201d Flores offered.<\/p>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \">\u201cYeah,\u201d said Riojas, who supports Talarico. \u201cMr. Trump is crazy.\u201d <\/p>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \">For Flores, who works with orphanages across the border in Mexico, those high prices aren\u2019t making him question his Republican vote. Nor is he politically moved by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement\u2019s sometimes lethal operations in the interior, which have ruffled some Trump supporters, both Hispanic and otherwise.<\/p>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \">\u201cI love ICE,\u201d said Flores.<\/p>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \">Mike Garcia, 76, who sat across from the two and said he voted for Trump three times in a row, was more wary. <\/p>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \">\u201cThe ones they\u2019re killing, some of them, been here in the United States for years and years and got children,&#8221; Garcia said. <\/p>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \">He said Paxton, who has been impeached, then acquitted, and faced allegations of corruption and extramarital affairs, has a \u201chorrible reputation.&#8221; But he also is bothered by comments Talarico has made about God&#8217;s gender, a statement Paxton has used to attack his opponent as he appeals to Texas voters&#8217; conservative values. <\/p>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \">Garcia still didn\u2019t know which candidate he&#8217;ll support come November. <\/p>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \">Paxton has leaned more on immigration enforcement as an issue, including during his own border stop in the Rio Grande Valley. <\/p>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \">Speaking in a circle of supporters in McAllen, Paxton first plugged the lawsuits he filed against the Biden administration over immigration enforcement, and his endorsement from the National Border Patrol Council. <\/p>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \">He then returned to some of his core attacks on Talarico, including repeating the Democrat&#8217;s statements that \u201cGod is nonbinary,\u201d which Talarico \u2014 a seminary student \u2014 said on the Texas House floor several years ago, citing Scripture.<\/p>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \">His campaign&#8217;s director of Hispanic outreach said Paxton has delivered what Hispanics want, including taking on criminals and companies that gouge consumers, and attacked Talarico as \u201cwimpy.\u201d <\/p>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \">\u201cHispanics know Ken Paxton is a strong man who shares our values, and we see in James Talarico a wimpy liberal,\u201d Alex Alarcon said. &#8220;No one looks at him and thinks, now there\u2019s a guy who\u2019ll protect us from the cartels.\u201d <\/p>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \">Talarico didn&#8217;t avoid talk about immigration enforcement completely during his border tour. <\/p>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \">At a news conference, he stood in Sanderson, Texas, alongside local sheriffs to pledge investment in surveillance tech to catch illegal crossings and to hire more border patrol agents and immigration judges. <\/p>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \">Later, after a town hall where voters aired their frustrations over affording rent, property taxes and healthcare, Talarico spoke with The Associated Press about what&#8217;s been happening here. <\/p>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \">&#8220;The Biden administration failed border communities like this, and so people were feeling disillusioned. They were open to an alternative and Republicans came down here with some big promises,&#8221; he said. <\/p>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \">Now, \u201cthey\u2019re seeing a lot of those promises weren\u2019t kept.&#8221; <\/p>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \">___ <\/p>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC eTIW sUzSN \">Associated Press journalist Amelia Thomson-DeVeaux in Washington contributed to this report. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<script async=\"async\" data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"https:\/\/pl30214220.effectivecpmnetwork.com\/9ab3d4df8a7e1a6171e16ddbf732cc19\/invoke.js\"><\/script>\r\n<div id=\"container-9ab3d4df8a7e1a6171e16ddbf732cc19\"><\/div>\r\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>EAGLE PASS, Texas &#8212; The black campaign bus with \u201cTalarico for Texas\u201d across its side came to a steaming stop at Memo\u2019s Restaurant along the U.S.-Mexico border. Bibi Valdez\u2019s eyes lit up. She marched in heels over to the bus, phone camera trained on its door, chatting about the locals whose political leanings shifted two&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":17052,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/i.abcnewsfe.com\/a\/e4411f51-422d-4c1f-a20c-5943b94daed9\/wirestory_d6738428b4af4d2e13191b1ff1fd058d_16x9.jpg?w=1600","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[17],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-17051","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-political-news"],"brizy_media":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17051","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=17051"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17051\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/17052"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=17051"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=17051"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=17051"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}