By Hannah Webb | News Editor
Democratic U.S. Senate candidate James Talarico will host a campaign event at Baylor next month, giving students an opportunity to hear directly from a candidate in Texas’ closely watched Senate race.
Talarico will appear at 7 p.m. Sept. 16 at the Mark and Paula Hurd Center, Jason Cook, Baylor’s vice president for marketing and communications and chief marketing officer, confirmed Monday.
The event follows an invitation from Baylor to both Talarico and Republican candidate Ken Paxton, the Texas attorney general, to bring their campaigns to campus during the fall semester.
Cook said Baylor administrators approached both campaigns after considering how the university could provide its community access to candidates while continuing its recent emphasis on civil discourse.
“This Senate race has great importance to the state of Texas and for the entire country, and the university has made a great priority on civil discourse over the past couple of years,” Cook said. “It’s an imperative woven throughout our strategic plan, Baylor InDeeds.”
Baylor offered both campaigns several available dates at the Hurd Center throughout September. Talarico’s campaign selected Sept. 16, while Paxton’s campaign was unable to accommodate any of the available dates.
“We held about six dates throughout the month of September for the campaigns, and we shared those dates with them and said, ‘Look, if you are interested in coming to the Baylor campus, here’s six dates for you to choose from at the Hurd Center,’” Cook said. “The Talarico campaign responded, and they selected one of the dates that we provided to them. The Paxton campaign indicated that his schedule would not align with the dates that we provided.”
The limited dates were due to an increasingly full fall event schedule.
The university’s role in the event will be limited to providing the facility and helping make attendance available to members of the Baylor community. Talarico’s campaign will organize and run the event, while also covering the costs associated with renting the Hurd Center and providing security.
“This is a campaign event,” Cook said. “This is not a university event.”
Baylor regularly allows outside organizations to use the Hurd Center on a “fee basis”, according to Cook. Talarico’s campaign is renting the facility through that process. The university will work with Talarico’s campaign to provide students, faculty and staff with login information and e-tickets to attend.
The announcement comes several months after Paxton appeared at Baylor during Turning Point USA’s “This Is the Turning Point” tour April 22. Paxton was announced as the event’s speaker the day before the tour arrived on campus, replacing Donald Trump Jr.
At the time, questions surrounding Paxton’s appearance centered on Baylor’s tax-exempt status and restrictions on university involvement in political campaigns. Baylor policy requires the university to avoid using its facilities to support candidates for public office unless the Office of General Counsel approves an exception.
Baylor spokesperson Lori Fogleman said in April that Paxton’s appearance had received approval alongside the understanding that other U.S. Senate candidates had the opportunity to come to campus.
“This will ensure alignment with University policy and fairness for all candidates in the U.S. Senate race in Texas,” Fogleman said in April.
Talarico’s event is separate from the TPUSA appearance and will be hosted by his campaign rather than a Baylor student organization. Baylor’s invitation to both campaigns was intended to provide access to the university’s facilities without endorsing either candidate, Cook said.
“For us at the university, it was very important that our students, faculty and staff have access to hear the candidates in the campaign,” Cook said.
