Gwen Domine
Junior Editor
The last time Texas had a Democratic senator was in 1993. Now, State Representative James Talarico has the potential to upend the regime of red that has gripped the Republican state and bring unifying change to a state that desperately needs it.
Red versus blue, Republicans versus Democrats, conservatives versus liberals: These are the polarizing sentiments that have taken over our society, pitting us against our own neighbors. Each time I see a candidate’s political strategy, it becomes clear how commonplace it is to exploit this division in order to maximize votes. Candidates draw firm boundaries in perspective, belief and values in order to estrange different groups, leaving little room for one to change their own mind. Talarico’s campaign, however, focuses on a different division in our country: The top versus the bottom; the lives of the 99% versus the 1%. These percentages refer to the wealth held by Americans. The wealth inequality gap that has spread throughout America tends to go unseen in favor of division within classes that is exacerbated through political campaigns. To quote Talarico, “billionaires want us looking left and right at each other instead of looking up at them.” Instead of pitting working-class citizens against each other, Talarico fights for rights to unite each other — to enhance literacy and mathematics, fund public education and ensure that artificial intelligence does not impede learning.
These goals do not come from a place of unawareness or sitting on a high horse . Before becoming a state representative, Talarico was a public middle school teacher in San Antonio, teaching English language arts in an underprivileged Mexican neighborhood. Now, he uses this background in his fight to fix the challenges he observed. As a State Representative, Talarico has already made much progress on these issues — in 2023, his Texas Proposition 2 was voted in, a piece of legislation aimed towards reducing the operating costs of childcare facilities and creating tax breaks.
His sense of duty, however, does not stop at the educational aspect of school, but rather extends to each students’ health and wellbeing. As students on a campus that is not exactly known for a lack of partying, we know that the danger of overdosing at Sewanee is extremely prevalent. We are lucky to have resources in place and the Good Samaritan policy, yet not every school has opportunities to create these. Talarico saw this issue and worked to address it —he co-authored Texas Senate Bill 629, a bill requiring Texas schools, both public and private, to have Narcan or other opioid blockers on site in order to prevent student overdoses. These measures are dystopian but necessary — we as students need to vote for the candidate who cares for student health, not those who cast it aside in favor of focusing on economic or other policies.
There is a common narrative that voting for your state’s senate is not important; that it pales in comparison to the presidential election, or even more local elections. But this narrative is false, as your vote still counts the same amount, and in many cases is arguably even more valuable. The Senate is vital to creating change, and in the case of Texas, flipping a red Senate seat means allowing for more diversity of thought, ideas, and actions. Texas’ senatorial race is one of the most discussed right now, simply because of the rarity of having a Democratic Texan having this high of a chance — at the moment, Talarico leads 47% to opponent Ken Paxton’s 46%, a dead heat too close to call according to Fox News.
As a historically Republican state, many are trying to justify not voting for Talarico because he “doesn’t represent the Texan ideals,” a statement that could not be further from the truth. While he does not impose overly aggressive border laws or attempt to restrict the bodily autonomy of women, two viewpoints that have begun to become associated with Texas, Talarico represents the deeper ideals of the state. An eighth-generation Texan, Talarico stands for faith as a Presbyterian seminary student who lives by Christian ideals. He fights for justice for households, a true family man. And, contrary to popular rumor, he is not a vegan.
For any Sewanee student with a hometown in Texas, I urge you not to let your power as a constituent pass you by. Instead, make sure that you are ready to vote, and when election day comes in November, remember the value of education, of healthcare and unification when you see the name James Talarico on the ballot. For those who have roots, families or friends in Texas, I urge you to use your voice and spread the word of better times to come for Texas.