Texas Senate Race: Talarico’s Border Tour Targets Shifting Hispanic Voters

On July 13, 2026, Democratic Senate candidate James Talarico stopped at Memo’s Restaurant in Eagle Pass, Texas, to meet voters in a predominantly Hispanic region that swung heavily toward Republican President Donald Trump in the 2024 election. The rally drew a packed crowd, and Talarico emphasized the “beauty of our border communities” while criticizing what he described as a “rigged” economy that favors “mega donors.” He also pledged investment in surveillance technology, additional border-patrol agents, and more immigration judges after a town-hall discussion on rent, property taxes and health-care costs.

Associated Press

Historically Democratic, many border-county Hispanic voters supported Trump in 2024, with Maverick County moving from a 10-point Biden lead in 2020 to a 19-point Trump advantage—the sharpest swing in the nation, according to AP reporting. An AP-NORC poll shows national Hispanic approval of Trump fell to 29% in June, down from 41% at the start of his second term, suggesting a potential opening for Democrats despite recent Republican gains.

Associated Press

He also referenced a past comment that “God is nonbinary,” made while he was a seminary student, which has become a focal point for his opponent. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, the GOP Senate nominee, has positioned himself as a “strong man” who shares Hispanic values, attacking Talarico as “wimpy” and highlighting his own lawsuits against the Biden administration and endorsement from the National Border Patrol Council.

Associated Press

Talarico told the Associated Press that the Biden administration “failed border communities,” leaving residents “disillusioned” and receptive to Republican promises. Paxton’s campaign director of Hispanic outreach, Alex Alarcon, asserted that Paxton delivers what Hispanic voters want—toughness on crime and corporate price-gouging—while labeling Talarico a liberal lacking protective resolve.

Associated Press

• “So many politicians show up at the border to demonize and weaponize,” — James Talarico, the texas attorney

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• “It was a nightmare because of him. Now, you don’t see no immigrants,” — Hector Flores

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• “The ones they’re killing, some of them, been here in the United States for years and years and got children,” — Flores. Mike Garcia

Associated Press

• “Hispanics know Ken Paxton is a strong man who shares our values, and we see in James Talarico a wimpy liberal,” — Alex Alarcon

Associated Press