Democratic strategists are raising concerns that James Talarico’s campaign for the U.S. Senate in Texas could face challenges from a lack of enthusiasm among Black voters, particularly Black women, following his victory over Rep. Jasmine Crockett, D-Texas, in the Democratic primary, as reported [1] y Fox News.
Ashley Etienne, a Democratic strategist and former advisor to President Barack Obama and former Vice President Kamala Harris, discussed the issue during a recent appearance, saying Talarico remains a strong general election candidate but faces an important hurdle with a key voting bloc.
Etienne said she believes Talarico is “incredibly well-positioned” to become the first Democrat in decades to win a Texas U.S. Senate seat.
However, she identified what she described as a significant concern involving Black voters’ reaction to the primary outcome.
According to Etienne, some Black voters have expressed disappointment following Crockett’s loss to Talarico.
She said Black voters are “feeling like they were betrayed” by “what happened to Jasmine Crockett.”
Etienne explained that “some voters, Black women in particular, are feeling as though the Democratic Party and Democratic candidates want our labor, but not our leadership.”
She cited what she described as “the two biggest examples,” saying they are “Kamala Harris’ loss and Jasmine Crockett’s loss.”
Talarico, a Texas state lawmaker and Presbyterian seminarian, secured the Democratic nomination earlier this year after defeating Crockett in the primary election.
During the campaign, Talarico also received attention for previous public comments that resurfaced, including statements in which he said he “hates Christianity,” referred to God as “nonbinary,” and asserted there are six sexes.
Etienne said she believes those remarks can be addressed politically, but argued that concerns among Black voters present a more significant challenge.
A Texas native, Etienne has also served as a senior advisor to former President Joe Biden, former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, and several members of Congress from Texas. She now leads the communications firm, Etienne & Saint.
Etienne pointed to an opinion article she co-authored in the Houston Chronicle, which included comments from a Black female voter.
“We as Black women give 92 percent of our vote to the Democratic Party, and we get nothing out of the deal,” the voter said.
Etienne said, “That’s one example of what I think is a larger sentiment across Black women.”
She described those concerns as an “alarm warning for Talarico.”
According to Etienne, approximately 1.1 million registered Black voters in Texas are not currently participating in elections. She argued that increasing turnout among those voters will be critical if Democrats hope to compete statewide.
She also emphasized the political influence of Black women within Democratic voter mobilization efforts.
“We are a force multiplier effect when it comes to Black voters,” Etienne said. “We have the ability to bring the entire community to – and we have proven that we do this every cycle after cycle – bring the entire community to the polls.”
Etienne added that “if the mood of Black women is low, then you lose an opportunity… to really reach and mobilize and engage and energize the rest of the Black community.”
“That’s the nut he’s going to have to crack,” she said.
Dallas Jones, a Democratic strategist who served as the Texas political director for the Biden-Harris campaign in 2020, offered a similar assessment.
Jones criticized pressure placed on Crockett to actively campaign alongside Talarico after endorsing him.
“There’s rhetoric that’s being turned up that she has to come and support him, and a lot of that is coming from people that support him,” Jones said.
“So, what it translates to is people basically telling this accomplished, decorated, Black female member of Congress what she ought to do. And all that does is stoke flames and fires for her supporters, who are saying, ‘She really doesn’t have to do anything. You won, you’re the nominee, you come earn our vote, she doesn’t have to help you do that.’”
Jones also argued that millions of potential Democratic voters remain available to the campaign if enthusiasm can be increased.
“There are millions of black Texans out there ready for the taking, ready to support the campaign… [but] every day that goes by there’s an erosion of that support,” he said.
While acknowledging that Talarico’s past comments are likely to be highlighted during the campaign, Jones said he does not believe they will substantially affect Black voters.
“There will be a lot of energy and effort to weaponize those types of statements,” Jones said. “But I truly don’t think that it’s going to have a huge impact.”
He added, “Black Texans that show up in November are not voting for Ken Paxton.”
Jones concluded that Talarico’s challenge is increasing turnout rather than changing minds.
“The challenge is creating the enthusiasm to get enough of them to go and vote for him.”
“He himself has admitted that he cannot win the state without Black voters,” Jones continued. “It’s not a persuasion game, it’s an enthusiasm game.”
Fox News Digital reported that it reached out to Talarico’s campaign, Crockett’s office, and the campaign of Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton for comment.