U.S. Senate Democratic candidate and state Rep. James Talarico, D-Austin, spoke to more than a thousand attendees at a rally in Hogg Auditorium Friday, with less than two weeks before Election Day.
The event, part of Talarico’s “Clear Eyes, Full Hearts” tour, was hosted by University Democrats, an organization Talarico led in 2009.
“This was really a homecoming for him, and to spend 30 minutes just talking to students, campaigning to students during early voting: it meant the world,” Adit Raha, University Democrats president and Plan II senior, said. “It was fantastic.”
Talarico currently represents Texas House District 50, which covers parts of northeast Austin, and is running against Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton for U.S. Senate. The winner will replace U.S. Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, who has held the seat since 2002.
“We are running against the most corrupt politician in Texas,” Talarico said. “Ken Paxton represents everything that’s wrong with our politics. He doesn’t serve us. He serves himself.”
Talarico also said there is “no place for guys like Ken Paxton in Texas,” pointing to Paxton’s 2023 impeachment as Attorney General.
“He was impeached by his own party, by his fellow Republicans, for taking bribes from wealthy donors, all while he blocks our overtime pay and guts our health care,” Talarico said. “This is the rot at the core of our broken political system.”
Texas acquitted Paxton in 2023, ending his suspension and allowing him to return to office, according to reporting from NPR. Paxton’s campaign did not respond to repeated requests for comment from The Texan about Talarico’s campaign.
During the rally, Talarico said he plans to ban corporate and super PACs, ban members of Congress from trading stocks, ban gerrymandering and pass term limits.
Psychology sophomore Alexei Zimmer, who attended the rally, said she grew up around politics in Washington, D.C., and is voting for Talarico because she wants to see a Democrat represent Texas.
“I’m Christian, but also a Democrat, and I think it’s really important for people to understand that you can be both of those at the same time,” Zimmer said. “I love that he represents that for all of us.”
Several local Democratic politicians joined Talarico at the rally, including Zo Qadri, District 9 City Council Member who represents UT and West Campus. Qadri is running for re-election this midterm.
“We are so close (to) change, and I can’t wait until November 3, where we have (Hinojosa) and (Talarico) and so many others representing us here in Texas,” Qadri said. “Everyone, from the top of your ticket to the bottom, make sure you go out and vote. Let’s flip this state and let’s get stuff done.”
According to the Federal Election Commission, Talarico’s campaign has raised over $146 million from 2025 to 2026. Paxton has raised over $22 million from April 2025 to October 2026.
Talarico critiqued Paxton’s finances and trillionaire Elon Musk’s recent donation of over $190 million to the Senate Leadership Fund, a Republican-aligned super PAC that has financially supported efforts to elect Paxton, according to The Texas Tribune.
“This election is about whether you want a senator who serves you or who serves their billionaire mega-donors,” Talarico said. “(Elon Musk) is trying to buy Texas, but on Nov. 3, we are going to deliver a crystal-clear message to the world’s first trillionaire: Texas is not for sale.”
