By Hannah Webb | News Editor
Red “Make America Affordable Again” campaign signs waved throughout a packed Mark & Paula Hurd Grand Ballroom Wednesday night as Democratic U.S. Senate candidate James Talarico took the stage at Baylor.
According to the Talarico campaign, 1,100 people RSVP’d for the event. In front of a crowd of Baylor students, faculty and staff, Talarico built much of his pitch around the slogan printed across the signs, arguing that housing, higher education, jobs, debt and the rising cost of starting a family are putting the American Dream out of reach for young voters, making it, according to Talarico, the “American Nightmare.”
“The students here may not remember this,” Talarico said. “But not so long ago, you could afford to live a good life in America. You could buy a home in your 20s. You could go to college for cheap or free.”
Talarico, a former public school teacher and four-term Texas House representative, returned to affordability throughout the night, telling the college audience that their generation is working within an economic system that makes traditional milestones increasingly difficult to reach.
In an interview with The Lariat, Talarico said those concerns helped explain why he wanted to speak directly to young voters.
“I think all the issues that young Texans face are the issues that are being ignored by our U.S. Senate, whether it’s housing, whether it’s jobs, whether it’s higher education or debt,” Talarico told The Lariat. “These are all the things that really impact young people in particular.”
He highlighted why the 18-24 voter range matters in the coming election, acknowledging current polls that put Talarico ahead of Republican candidate Ken Paxton.
“We are winning young voters across the state of Texas by an overwhelming margin, so I’m confident we’re going to win here at Baylor, at colleges and universities across the state on November 3rd,” Talarico said.
That message connected with Austin senior Allison Estes, an education major, who said Talarico’s focus on public education first drew her to his campaign.
“I came tonight because I am an education major,” Estes said. “The things that he’s talking about, primarily about public schools and the impoverishment of students, and how it’s just a system that is broken against them and against their success.”
Talarico’s background as a public school teacher became part of that pitch. During his speech, he recalled teaching at Rhodes Middle School on San Antonio’s west side and watching his students and their families struggle financially.
“My students weren’t just kids,” Talarico said. “They were survivors, they were fighters, they were dreamers.”
Talarico also contrasted his campaign with Paxton’s to The Lariat. Baylor previously invited both candidates to campus, but Paxton’s campaign was unable to accommodate the university’s available dates.
Talarico told The Lariat that while his political opponents and their donors attended the Republican National Convention — what he called a “billionaire ball” — in Dallas, his campaign held a food drive.
“While corrupt politicians and their billionaire mega donors were gathering in Dallas for their billionaire ball — the tickets were $20,000 a pop — our campaign was bringing people together to collect more than 20,000 pounds of groceries for our neighbors through our Love Thy Neighbor food drive,” Talarico said. “That’s the clear contrast in this race. I believe in public service. I believe that elected officials should serve others, not serve themselves.”
Talarico then directly criticized Paxton.
“Ken Paxton clearly believes that public office is a way to get rich, to make a fortune, and so I think the choice is very clear for voters going into the Senate,” Talarico said.
While Talarico used the night to distinguish himself from Paxton, the Baylor crowd included students who supported both sides of the race.
Robinson freshman Owen Roos arrived outside the event protesting on behalf of the pro-life movement. Roos said he began following Talarico’s campaign and was initially interested because he perceived Talarico as a more centrist candidate.
But Roos said his opinion changed as he learned more about Talarico’s positions, particularly on abortion, which he described as the issue that “broke the deal” for him.
After police moved the protest, Roos got in line to enter the Hurd. Despite his opposition to Talarico, Roos said he still wanted to hear the candidate for himself.
“I want to be able to learn more about him, see how he responds to things,” Roos said.
Inside the ballroom, Houston senior and Baylor College Democrats President Hanna Al-Hayek introduced Talarico before his speech. Al-Hayek later said she hoped the event would give students an opportunity to form opinions beyond what they encounter online.
“My hope for people, for everybody [is to] come into the space,” Al-Hayek said. “Drop the bias. It’s so easy to follow from what you see through the screen.”
That idea of reaching beyond established political camps became another theme of Talarico’s speech. He repeatedly argued that Texans’ economic concerns cross partisan lines.
“The real fight in this country is not left versus right,” Talarico said. “It’s top versus bottom.”
Fort Worth master’s student Seth Bullard said Talarico’s attempts to reach voters outside the Democratic Party were part of what attracted him to the campaign.
“There’s a lot of more moderate conservatives at Baylor who I think believed in something before MAGA and before the Trump Administration,” Bullard said. “I think a lot of what is really appealing about Talarico, is that he’s willing to reach across the aisle.”
Austin master’s student Tanish Singh said he has watched Talarico’s political career develop from a different vantage point — the two attended the same high school.
“I got to see him in his whole political journey,” Singh said. “Obviously, he doesn’t know me, but maybe he does.”
That history, Singh said, has shaped his perception of Talarico as a candidate willing to work with people who disagree with him.
“I feel like he’s a very honest guy,” Singh said. “His heart’s in the right place, he’s willing to negotiate with people and I think he has what it takes.”
The size of the crowd itself was notable to some students.
Estes said she had attended Baylor College Democrats meetings with fewer than 15 people and did not expect to see the ballroom as full as it was Wednesday.
“I was super surprised that there were this many people here,” Estes said. “The fact that so many people turned out for this really speaks to the message that he’s resonating with people.”
Talarico told The Lariat the turnout surprised him, too. He also tied the crowd back to the broader economic argument he made throughout the night.
“The number of students that showed up here tonight blew me away,” Talarico said.
Talarico also drew repeated contrasts between himself and Paxton, criticizing wealthy donors and super PACs while highlighting his campaign’s grassroots fundraising and volunteer efforts.
Talarico also told The Lariat that voters should also compare their records, pointing to his four terms in the Texas House of Representatives and saying he helped pass 60 bipartisan bills addressing issues including housing, child care and prescription drug costs.
By the end of the night, Talarico returned to the economic argument displayed throughout the ballroom on his campaign’s red signs.
“Young Texans are being hurt by this rigged political system,” Talarico told The Lariat. “We can’t get ahead no matter how hard we work.”
