'Black people don't trust you': Talarico confronted in tense moment during Texas town hall

A tense exchange between U.S. Senate hopeful James Talarico and a Black voter at a Houston town hall Sunday quickly spread on social media, highlighting skepticism some Democratic voters voiced as the Austin-area lawmaker courts support in the race.

Kandice Webber, a Houston nurse and political content creator, told Talarico she had waited while he answered other attendees' questions before confronting him.

"Black people don't trust you for this reason," Webber said as some attendees clapped while others whispered among themselves. "And you cannot win without us, so you stay here, and you answer our questions - or you suffer the consequences."

Talarico acknowledged Webber, saying he was "happy to engage" and that "this is what this conversation's supposed to be about."

"So, one, I want to thank you for your honesty and for being willing to speak your truth to me as a candidate and us as a campaign. I talked a little bit earlier about my desire to earn the trust of every Black Texan," Talarico said. "This is not the end of a conversation. This is the beginning of a conversation."

The exchange came during a town hall hosted by Talarico's campaign that lasted more than an hour and featured a mix of supportive and skeptical questions from Black Houstonians.

Afterward, Webber told reporters she believes Talarico is a "Teach for America plant" who wants to "privatize" public schools.

Talarico, a former public school teacher, has been a leading Democratic opponent of Gov. Greg Abbott's school voucher program. He also faced criticism during the Democratic primary after receiving support from the Charter Schools Now PAC, according to the Texas Tribune.

In another video posted after the event, Webber said she would rather see Republican Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton win the U.S. Senate seat than Talarico, accusing Democrats of trying to "instill your great white hope in my [expletive] people and watch you let us down."

Houston content creator Juli McShay also challenged Talarico, urging him to denounce online supporters she said harass former Democratic primary rival U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett and Black political influencers who have not fully backed his campaign. She also criticized what she described as his delay in engaging with Black voters in those spaces.

While some attendees echoed Webber's and McShay's concerns, many others attended to support Talarico, including U.S. Rep. Christian Menefee, state Rep. Lauren Ashley Simmons and other Black elected officials. Talarico also debuted a pledged to spend $25 million on Black voter outreach. 

Others defended Talarico on social media. State Rep. Marc Veasey, D-Fort Worth, wrote on X that no one "will ever, nor should you ever, make everyone happy."

According to polling provided by Talarico's campaign, he leads Paxton 80%-13% among Black likely voters. The campaign also says he is polling 9 points ahead of Gina Hinojosa among Black voters and outperforming former U.S. Rep. Colin Allred and former Democratic Senate candidate Beto O'Rourke at the same stage of their campaigns.

Read this story on statesman.com