Faith, populism fuel Talarico's bid to flip Texas Senate seat

Senate candidate James Talarico cast his vote Friday in Texas, where the Democratic Party hopes his blend of Christian faith and economic populism could propel him to a historic victory and end three decades of Republican dominance in the state.

Talarico's insurgent contest against Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton -- a staunch ally of President Donald Trump -- has become one of the most closely watched races in next week's midterm elections that could see Democrats seize control of Congress and place the president in a legislative straitjacket for the rest of his term.

Polls show a tight race, giving supporters hope that Talarico could be the first Democrat to win a statewide election in Texas since 1994.

"This is the moment we leave it all on the field. We are the underdogs. It's David versus Goliath," Talarico told a rally Thursday in Galveston, a Republican stronghold on the Texas coast.

One of the rally attendees, Noel, said he was a lifelong Republican until Trump became president.

"That party's crazy. They left me, I didn't leave them. The MAGA people are crazy," the 75-year-old told AFP, in reference to Trump's Make America Great Again movement.

When asked why he is supporting Talarico, Noel said: "He's a young man, he's an honest man, he's got a vision, he's smart, well-spoken, nice, kind, which is what we need."

Talarico has encouraged the political right to join him, saying: "Conservatives, true conservatives, are welcome in this movement that we do."

"We are uniting Texans from all backgrounds and beliefs onto one team to take on this broken, corrupt political system," the 37-year-old former teacher told reporters shortly after voting in Austin, the Texas state capital.

Talarico's campaign has raised nearly $129 million, more than six times the almost $20 million donated to Paxton's, according to Federal Election Commission (FEC) records.

However, outside groups have spent $202 million in support of Paxton, compared to $55 million for Talarico, according to the site PaidForPolitics.

"They have already poured more than $200 million into our state to try to stop our movement," Talarico said.

"That is more than any Senate race in American history."

An investigation by US politics accountability nonprofit VoteLog found total spending in the Texas senate race has surpassed half a billion dollars between the primary and general vote.

While in Houston, Talarico met with college students, some of the youngest voters in the US electorate.

"I saw him on YouTube Reels... that's where I first saw him and I was like, man, he's so inspiring," Beau Matthews, 23, told AFP.

Maya Guerra, the 21-year-old daughter of Latino migrants -- a community targeted heavily in Trump's immigration crackdown -- said she viewed Talarico as a source of hope.

"Talarico himself is for the people, making sure that just because we come from different places... we're striving for the same goal, which is humanity," she said.

Traci Gibson, the head of the Democratic Party in Harris County, which includes most of Houston, said Trump has done her party a favor by telling voters to act like he is on the ballot this time.

"Challenge accepted. We are going to vote you out of here with each of these other Republicans," she told AFP.

Talarico's message "crosses the aisle," Gibson said. "It's not left, it's not right. It's top versus bottom."

"It is us versus corrupt billionaires. It is us with our health care. It is us with our gas prices... that's something you and I can find in common, regardless if we're Democrats or Republicans. And I think that message is why he's going to win."