Talarico: GOP picked Dallas for convention to blunt growing opposition to the party 'extremism'
DALLAS - Democratic Senate candidate James Talarico on Monday dismissed the Republican convention coming to Dallas as an effort to blunt what he called a growing "bipartisan backlash" against "extremism and corruption."
Speaking after touring and volunteering at Brother Bill's Helping Hand, a nonprofit ministry in West Dallas that assists people in need, Talarico said President Donald Trump and GOP leaders picked Texas because they fear losing political ground, including in his closely watched Senate race against Attorney General Ken Paxton.
"They are concerned about what it could mean in November of this year," Talarico said of Republicans. "That's why they're choosing Texas."
He said Republicans could have held the convention in "North Carolina, Georgia or Ohio."
"They are choosing Texas because they know there is a bipartisan backlash growing to their extremism and their corruption," he said, noting Monday marked the first anniversary of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, the tax and budget package Trump signed on July 4, 2025.
"I have not met a Texan who was excited about that big ugly bill," he said. "I would like to see all of our leaders, regardless of their political party, talking less about each other and more about Texans and the struggles that working families are facing here in the state."
Trump last week announced Dallas will host the first-ever Republican midterm convention Sept. 9-11, making Texas a focal point of the November elections. Republicans are hoping to use the event to energize turnout, critical in their efforts to maintain majority control in Washington.
Talarico, a state representative from Austin, smiled when told he would likely be the target of many convention speeches because of his high-profile matchup against Paxton, but dismissed the gathering's potential impact.
"I'm less worried about the professional wrestling of politics," he said. "I'm more concerned about the consequences of our policy decisions, and that's what we're up close seeing here at this food pantry."
He said Texans would not benefit from the "nicknames and cheap insults" he expects to hear during the convention.
"We need to keep our eyes on the prize, and that is helping Texans get ahead, helping Texans afford to live in this state," he said.
Talarico has made affordability the centerpiece of his campaign, promising to lower everyday costs.
On Monday, Paxton criticized Talarico over votes he cast in the Legislature, including opposing bills banning taxes on wealth, estates and unrealized capital gains.
His campaign called Talarico "a wolf in sheep's clothing who will do and say anything to get elected."
"Talarico's claiming to care about affordability is laughable," the campaign said. "Texans won't be so easily convinced that he stands with them when he has opposed every tax-cutting measure that would have put money back in their pockets."
Talarico responded that his votes were against "tax cuts for the wealthiest Texans at the expense of working people."
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