Talarico Electrifies Shrunken Convention
Audience after Booker Rocks House in CC
Capitol Inside
June 26 2026
CORPUS CHRISTI - U.S Senate nominee James Talarico delivered a knockout speech to a half-empty house at the Texas Democratic Convention on Friday night when he branded GOP foe Ken Paxton as the "most corrupt politician in America" and issued a warning to Republicans.
"Texans don't like tyrants," Talarico said several times to loud cheers. "And we don't surrender easily."
Talarico likened Paxton to a loud-mouth regular at a bar who hears you say your name to the bartender then puts his drinks on your bill when you're not looking. The state representative from Austin drew inspiration from Sam Houston's removal after as the governor after refusing to take an oath of loyalty with the Confederacy.
Talarico gave the most important speech of his career a decided personal touch - mixing an account of his upbringing by a single mother who taught to love Texas with lines from songs by Texans Lyle Lovett and Gary P. Nunn that reflect the way he feels about his native state.
Talarico had tough acts to follow at a marathon general session with a crowded list of speakers that included U.S. Senator Cory Booker of New Jersey and U.S. Rep. Justin J. Pearson of Tennessee - two of the party's most eloquent and powerful orators.
The Democrats on the statewide slate including gubernatorial nominee Gina Hinojosa and lieutenant governor hopeful Vikki Goodwin addressed the delegates after Booker rocked the Hilliard Convention Center arena an hour or so before Talarico took the stage.
Talarico portrayed his campaign as a mission to stop crooked billionaires from feeding on government and trying to steal it from the people. "We let these small men get their hands on our state," the Senate contender said.
Talarico played up his root as an 8th-generation Texan while depicting Paxton as a "transplant" who grew up in California. The Democrat referred to the state's attorney general repeatedly as America's most corrupt politico.
But the initial audience with 4,000 or 5,000 delegates had thinned out considerably by the time Talarico took the stage at 9:40 p.m. - more than five hours after the session had opened for business.
The Democrats have a full plate on Saturday - with the election of the state party chair and a keynote speech from U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders. Incumbent Kendall Scudder faces three challengers in his bid for a full two-year term after winning the job in a vote of the State Democratic Executive Committee last year.
more to come ...
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