By Joana Karoshi | Staff Writer, Jacob Stowers | Broadcast Reporter
Texas state Rep. James Talarico visited Waco this week as part of his statewide campaign tour, speaking to residents and students about economic concerns, political division and the need for greater representation of younger generations in government.
LTVN’s Jacob Stowers has more on this story.
During the event on Monday evening, Talarico framed his campaign as an effort to challenge what he described as a “broken political system” driven by powerful interests and partisan conflict.
“We are building a movement to take back our state and take back our country,” Talarico said.
Throughout the speech, Talarico argued that the central political divide in the United States is not partisan.
“The real fight in this country is not left versus right,” Talarico said. “It’s top vs. bottom.”
Talarico said many of the issues most affecting younger Americans are being ignored at the national level, including student debt, housing affordability and environmental concerns.
“Well, if I’m elected, I’ll be the youngest U.S. senator in America,” Talarico said. “All the issues that affect millennials like me, but also Gen Z, like the folks at Baylor right now, those issues are the ones being ignored in our nation’s capital — student debt, the cost of higher education, housing, gun violence [and] the environment.”
Talarico said he came to Waco to connect with residents across the political spectrum and discuss policies affecting the local community.
“The reason that I showed up here in Waco is ’cause I want the folks here to know that I want to be their representative, whether they’re a Democrat, an independent, or a Republican, or whether they’ve never voted before,” Talarico said.
Talarico also focused on economic issues, including housing costs, education and childcare.
“I want to fight to lower the cost of their housing,” Talarico said. “I want to fight for their education, both their K-12 schools and also their institutions of higher education. I want to fight for their childcare because childcare is more expensive than it’s ever been before in Texas.”
Attendees said they came to the event to hear the candidate speak directly about his platform.
Nathan Eldridge, a 2017 Baylor graduate who attended the event, said he appreciated Talarico’s message about faith and politics.
“I think Talarico is fantastic,” Eldridge said. “He offers Christianity without being a Christian nationalist.”
Eldridge mentioned several points of concern for him, which will determine how he votes.
“I think my biggest issue has to be the affordability,” Eldridge said. “Rent’s expensive, groceries are expensive.”
Oak Hills, Calif., sophomore Bill Tate said he attended the event to hear perspectives on education policy and the broader political process.
“I’m interested in the political process, and I’m interested in hearing ideas from all sides, particularly on education,” Tate said. “Education policy is really important.”
Tate said events like the one in Waco allow students to engage directly with candidates.
“If you are interested, these are great events to go out and actually get answers to the questions that you might have,” Tate said.
