Members of the Democratic Party are sweating bullets as some within the party have warned that their nominee to be the next senator in Texas, James Talarico, is not gaining the level of support from black voters he needs to take the traditionally red state and flip it blue. This, of course, is excellent news for the GOP, as it shows their message, combined with the failure of left-wing policies is working hand-in-hand to reach this critical demographic.
“Listen, my home state of Texas, we feel incredibly encouraged for two reasons,” Ashley Etienne, formerly the communications director for Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris, said during an interview on “Meet the Press” with host Kristen Welker. “But the challenge is: the only way you win the state of Texas as a Democrat is if you overperform with Black voters.”
“I just came back from Houston last night, meeting with operatives on the ground and state elected officials. They are concerned that there’s mild enthusiasm among Black voters and that this $25 million that Talarico promised he was going to spend over a month ago has yet to start to flow,” she told Welker. “The investments aren’t there yet.”
“And then you couple that with the fact that Elon Musk said he’s going to spend nearly $200 million on these races, and Texas is a huge target for that. And you’ve got a problem with black voters in Texas: you’ve got 34% of black men voting for Donald Trump. So if you’re going to wait until Labor Day to start campaigning with black voters, you’re playing to lose,” Etienne explained, according to a report from The Daily Caller.
Etienne’s warning comes after a similar one was issued by Rep. Jasmine Crockett, who lost her own bid for the Senate to Talarico in March 2026 during the Democratic Party primary. Crockett also questioned whether black voters would be energized by Talarico’s campaign, and, thus far, with only a few months left before the general election, the answer seems to be no.
“I personally don’t feel like the excitement necessarily exists within the black community right now, like I don’t feel like they’re excited, right?” the Texas Democrat said during an episode of the “Front Page” podcast. The Democrats’ concerns are centered around voter turnout as Talarico tries to build the coalition he will need in order to defeat Republican Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton.
One hindrance Talarico is facing in winning support from black voters is the lack of campaigning from Crockett. Following her loss, the congresswoman did endorse Talarico, but she said in June that she would not be campaigning for him. Talarico has announced a get-out-the-vote effort that is targeting black voters to the tune of $25 million.
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In the heavily black precincts located in Harris County, Crockett took 86% of the vote, clearly indicating who this bloc of individuals wanted to represent the Democratic Party in the general election. However, in mostly white precincts, Talarico was ahead by a three-to-one ratio. Talarico and Paxton will go head-to-head for the seat on November 3, 2026.
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