Democratic Senate hopeful James Talarico and President Trump hold rival rallies in Lubbock ahead of Texas election
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In Lubbford, Texas, Democratic Senate candidate James Talarico and President Donald Trump staged separate rallies on the same day, highlighting the tight Senate race and voter enthusiasm in the traditionally Republican city.
Lubbock, Texas — On the same evening that President Donald Trump addressed a crowd at the Lubbock Memorial Civic Center, Democratic Senate candidate James Talarico held a rally on the city’s east side, drawing thousands of attendees. The events underscored the high-stakes Senate contest in a city of fewer than 300,000 residents, with a week left before the election.
Talarico, who has a narrow lead in recent polls, framed the race as a chance to address what he described as an “affordability crisis” linked to corruption. He criticized Republican Attorney General Ken Paxton, calling him “the most corrupt politician in Texas,” and accused tech billionaire Elon Musk of attempting to influence the race through financial support for Paxton.
“We have an affordability crisis because we have a corruption crisis. But we can change that in this election, in this state, in this race,” Talarico said.
“We are running against the embodiment of this corrupt system,” he added.
President Trump, accompanied by former Secretary of State Marco Rubio, used his appearance to boost Paxton’s campaign. He characterized Talarico as an “anti-gun extremist” and warned that Democrats represented “bad people” who could threaten public safety.
“They’ve got a lot of bad people,” Trump said of Democrats.
Rubio, who has not previously taken part in midterm campaign events, delivered a brief statement supporting Trump’s presidency.
“Our enemies are weaker. Our country is stronger, and our people are safer because Donald J. Trump is the president of the United States,” he said.
Both rallies featured strong partisan language and highlighted the intense voter enthusiasm in a region traditionally dominated by Republicans. The dual events illustrated the competitive nature of the Senate race, with Democrats seeking to flip a statewide seat for the first time in three decades and Republicans aiming to maintain their long-standing control of Texas politics.