Full interview with U.S. Senate candidate James Talarico — Inside Texas Politics

[0:00] Representative, good to see you here. [0:01] It's good to see you. [0:01] Republicans are hosting this midterm convention in Dallas here. [0:05] Your opponent has this high-profile spot there talking to supporters. [0:10] Does that help or hurt your campaign? [0:11] Well, while corrupt politicians like Ken Paxton are partying [0:14] with their billionaire megadonors down the street at the billionaire ball, [0:19] my campaign has collected 20,000 pounds of groceries for working Texans. [0:25] The contrast in this race could not be more stark. [0:28] I have a legislative record of bringing both parties together to lower costs for Texans, [0:33] the cost of child care, the cost of housing, the cost of prescription drugs, including insulin. [0:39] Ken Paxton has a track record of enriching himself while in public office, [0:43] of benefiting his donors at the expense of the people of Texas. [0:46] Today, I think, just brings that contrast into a stark light. [0:51] You know, President Trump is getting involved in this race also. [0:54] He's only putting $10 million into it. [0:57] $10 million is a lot of money, right? [0:58] I was going to say. [0:59] $10 million is a lot, but when you look at this race and how expensive this race is, [1:03] that figure doesn't really stand out that much. [1:05] What do you read into that number? [1:07] I try not to pay attention to what other folks are doing. [1:11] All I have control over is what my campaign is doing. [1:13] And I don't want to wait until after the election to start helping Texans. [1:17] We have a network of 60,000 volunteers. [1:19] That's a crazy number, 60,000 volunteers. [1:22] And we decided to put that network to work to deliver for Texans now, not after Election Day, but now. [1:30] I mean, Texans are struggling to afford the high price of groceries. [1:33] They're struggling to put food on the table. [1:34] And we collected 20,000 pounds of groceries to help those families. [1:39] And that's exactly what we need in our politics. [1:41] We need servant leadership, people who are willing to put others before themselves. [1:45] And that's exactly what we're doing today. [1:47] You've said you're still the underdog in this race here. [1:50] I mean, do you genuinely believe that? [1:52] Polls consistently show you leading here. [1:54] Is that messaging in your campaign? [1:56] I don't believe the polls anymore. [1:57] And the only poll that matters is on Election Day. [2:01] I'm going to be the underdog until the last vote is counted. [2:05] And the reason I know that is because billionaire megadonors like Elon Musk are also pouring money into this race. [2:11] Dark money packs are pouring money into this race to try to stop this movement that we're building. [2:16] They're terrified of the fact that we are bringing working people together across party, across race, [2:22] across gender and religion and culture to take on that corruption at the very top. [2:27] You had Republican officials here today endorsing our campaign. [2:31] And nothing is more terrifying to the people at the top than all of us as Texans coming together across partisan lines [2:39] to take on this corruption and get this economy back on track so it serves working people again. [2:44] I want to ask about David Maxwell. [2:46] He's a former Texas Ranger, one of the whistleblowers in the Ken Paxton case. [2:50] Worked for Ken Paxton. [2:51] He endorsed you. [2:52] What does his endorsement tell Texans or Texans voters about Ken Paxton? [2:58] They don't already know. [3:00] Well, Ken Paxton fired his director of law enforcement for enforcing the law against Ken Paxton. [3:06] Ken Paxton doesn't believe the rules apply to him. [3:09] It's why since taking office he has become a multimillionaire on the public's dime. [3:13] It's why he now owns 15 homes while most Texans can't afford one. [3:18] It's why he has taken bribes from wealthy donors all while blocking overtime pay for Texas workers and gutting our health care. [3:27] We need a senator who's going to serve us, not a senator who's going to serve himself. [3:30] That is the clear contrast in this race for the U.S. Senate. [3:33] Last topic here. [3:35] You called for suspending the federal gas tax to make transportation more affordable. [3:40] But that would only add to the $40 trillion deficit we have right now, which you've also pledged to close. [3:46] Which one is more important? [3:48] They're both important and we can do both. [3:50] We're often told that the only way to close the deficit and tackle the debt is by doing it on the backs of working people. [3:57] And that is not true. [3:58] We can close the deficit by closing billionaire tax loopholes, making the wealthiest people in this country pay their fair share, [4:04] and ending this disastrous forever war in Iran that is costing us a billion dollars a day. [4:10] If we do those things, not only will it close the deficit and tackle the debt, it will also lower costs, including gas prices. [4:18] So these are false choices in our politics. [4:21] We can and must do both on behalf of the people of Texas. [4:24] But you've criticized Republicans for adding to the deficit before. [4:27] Why would it be okay in this sense with suspending the federal gas tax if that were to happen? [4:31] If we pay for it by closing billionaire tax loopholes. [4:34] I am never going to be forespending without paying for it elsewhere. [4:38] And right now, our government is giving trillions of dollars of our taxpayer money to the wealthiest people in this country in the form of billionaire tax breaks. [4:48] And I think that money is better directed toward middle class families who are struggling to put food on the table, struggling to fill up their tanks. [4:56] That's the kind of senator I want to be. [4:57] It's why I don't take corporate PAC money. [4:59] I never have taken corporate PAC money because I answer the people of Texas. [5:02] And that is who I will serve in the U.S. Senate. [5:04] Representative, thank you. [5:05] Thank you, sir. [5:06] Appreciate you.