Democrats running for U.S. Senate appeared back-to-back Friday morning at the Texas Tribune Festival in Austin.
By Joseph Morton
Dallas Morning News
https://www.dallasnews.com/
Shafkat Anowar / Staff Photographer
AUSTIN – Former U.S. Rep. Colin Allred took the first real shot Friday in the Texas Democratic primary for U.S. Senate, criticizing state Rep. James Talarico over his past campaign contributions from a group funded by casino magnate and Dallas Mavericks owner Miriam Adelson.
A core part of Talarico’s campaign has been criticizing the role of money in politics, particularly the influence of billionaires.
Candidates who don’t back up their rhetoric with action run the risk of being seen as just another inauthentic politician, Allred said.
“I like James, but when I see him say that he’s running against billionaires, but then when nobody was looking his top donor was Miriam Adelson, the biggest donor of Donald Trump and the biggest billionaire out there, I think that that contributes to the cynicism that folks might experience,” Allred said.
Politico reported earlier this year the single biggest donor to Talarico’s state House reelection bid last year was a group funded by Adelson.
Talarico received a total of $59,000 from the Texas Sands PAC through donations in February and December of 2024, Politico reported.
Allred, who represented a Dallas congressional district, also has accepted campaign contributions from ultrawealthy donors.
Asked for comment, Talarico spokesperson JT Ennis said the Austin lawmaker has a long track record of standing up to billionaires.
“From fighting [Tim] Dunn and [Farris] Wilks on private school vouchers to taking on Big Pharma by capping insulin co-pays, and proposing legislation to limit campaign contributions, he’s always stood for working people in a system rigged by mega-donors,” Ennis said. “James is focused on running a positive race, not tearing down fellow Democrats because to truly change the politics of this state, it’s going to require all of us.”
Talarico and Allred appeared in separate, back-to-back moderated sessions Friday at the Texas Tribune Festival in Austin.
Allred’s criticism marks a potential shift in the race after the candidates have avoided strong criticism of each other. It comes as U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett, D-Dallas, considers significantly shaking up the race by jumping in herself.
When Talarico was asked during his time on stage to identify differences between himself and Allred, the state lawmaker declined, saying he’s committed to running a positive campaign.
The Democrats are battling for their party’s nomination to take on incumbent U.S. Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, who faces primary challenges from Attorney General Ken Paxton and U.S. Rep. Wesley Hunt, R-Houston.
Allred and Talarico hit many similar notes during their respective sessions as they sharply criticized Republican candidates in the race.
They each also highlighted the need for Democrats to demonstrate they are fighting for young and working class voters.
Both criticized the eight Senate Democrats who voted with Republicans this week for a bill to reopen the government without extending enhanced Affordable Care Act subsidies.
Extending those subsidies, which are set to expire, had been a core Democratic demand from the start of the historic 43-day government shutdown.
“A handful of Senate Democrats caved to DC Republicans in these negotiations and got nothing in return,” Talarico said. “They called it a deal to end the government shutdown. But in my opinion, any deal that kicks 1.7 million Texans off their health care isn’t compromise. It’s surrender.”
Allred described himself as battle tested and fully vetted by way of tough, nationalized campaigns. He joined Congress by beating a longtime incumbent Republican in 2018.
Allred gave up his congressional seat to challenge U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, last year.
While outperforming Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris in the state, Allred lost to Cruz by about 9 percentage points.
Talarico touted his experience as a legislator in Austin, the role of his faith in his campaign and promoting a “politics of love” focused on caring for one’s neighbors.
Talarico dismissed as sensationalized “clickbait” a recent Axios story that he follows several adult film stars, escorts and OnlyFans models on Instagram.
Talarico said he and his social media team follow back all accounts that follow them and have large numbers of followers, in an effort to spread the campaign’s message.
“While I didn’t know how these women made money, I won’t judge them for it and I will not participate in an effort to smear them for clickbait,” Talarico said.
During a lightning round of policy questions, both candidates said they support reforming the Senate filibuster rules, establishing a public health insurance option and legalizing marijuana.
Each said he would not support repealing the law that criminalizes illegal border crossings.
Joseph Morton covers the intersection of business and politics in the Washington Bureau. Before joining The News, Joseph worked for CQ Roll Call and the Omaha World-Herald. He graduated from the University of Missouri School of Journalism.
This story, originally published in The Dallas Morning News, is reprinted as part of a collaborative partnership between The Dallas Morning News and Texas Metro News. The partnership seeks to boost coverage of Dallas’ communities of color, particularly in southern Dallas.
