Texas Senate Candidate Talarico Targets Rural Voters, Addressing Concerns Including Data Centers

Texas Senate Candidate Talarico Targets Rural Voters, Addressing Concerns Including Data Centers

News ClipTexarkana Gazette·TX·9/6/2026

Democratic U.S. Senate nominee James Talarico is campaigning in rural Texas, aiming to reduce his opponent Ken Paxton's advantage. Data centers are identified as a key concern for rural voters, alongside water and energy costs, prompting Talarico to address data center policy. This issue is a significant talking point in the statewide election.

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Gov: Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, Texas State Representative James Talarico

Texas Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate, James Talarico, is employing a strategy to win over rural Texans in his race against Attorney General Ken Paxton. Talarico's campaign is actively engaging with voters in smaller communities across the state, including recent stops in Lockhart (Caldwell County) and Abilene, where he held a roundtable discussion on data center policy.

The article highlights that rural voters are particularly concerned about issues such as water and energy costs, private school vouchers, and the impact of data centers. Talarico aims to reduce Paxton's lead in these areas by addressing these concerns directly. His campaign emphasizes tackling corruption and economic struggles affecting rural communities, contrasting his approach with what he describes as Paxton's focus on "culture war" issues. While polling shows Talarico's support among rural voters is similar to previous Democratic Senate nominees, strategists believe that even a small shift in this demographic could be crucial for a statewide victory, especially in a midterm year with potential dissatisfaction with the party in power.