Texas Democrat James Talarico was confronted by a constituent over alleged shortcomings in his outreach to Black voters, during a stop in his campaign to become the state’s next senator.
According to local reporting and videos shared across social media, the exchange occurred on Sunday when the state representative attempted to bring the question-and-answer section of his town hall in southwest Houston to a close. A woman who had been waiting to ask a question accused the Senate hopeful of failing to address the concerns of those who had traveled to be there and who would be critical to his success come November.
“Black people don’t trust you for this reason. And you cannot win without us,” the woman said. “So you stay here, you answer our questions, or you suffer the consequences.”
Talarico attempted to ease the tension by telling the woman and the audience that he appreciated their attendance, adding that he was willing to stay after the event to answer questions in person.
“It’s all right. It’s all right. It’s all right,” Talarico said. “This is what this conversation is supposed to be about.”
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According to remarks from Talarico quoted in the Houston Defender, Sunday afternoon’s town hall was intended to provide Houstonians with the opportunity to ask questions of the campaign while hearing more about the lawmaker’s plan to confront “Big Money and corruption” in D.C.
Talarico added that Black Texans—a group he failed to sway despite winning the Democratic primary in March—were a particular focus. According to The New York Times, U.S. Representative Jasmine Crockett—who ran against Talarico in the primary—secured over 86 percent of the votes from predominantly Black areas. Talarico, meanwhile, safely won the white and Latino vote, securing a 53 percent to 46 percent victory in the overall contest.
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The Houston Chronicle identified the woman who spoke up as Kandice Webber, an activist and organizer for the Houston wing of Black Lives Matter. Newsweek has contacted Webber via Facebook for comment outside regular working hours.
In the video, someone informs the crowd that Talarico would answer one more question, prompting audible frustration from parts of the audience. Following this, Webber tells Talarico directly that she drove 45 minutes to attend, wanted the event to be televised and would not leave until he answered her questions.
Talarico thanked Webber for attending the event, to which she replied, “I did it for my people, not for you.”
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The post Talarico Faces Heated Texas Town Hall: ‘Black People Don’t Trust You’ appeared first on American Renaissance.
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