The Central Texas African American Civic Engagement Symposium criticized Texas Democratic Senate nominee James Talarico’s campaign for canceling an event scheduled for Oct. 5. In an email obtained by Fox News Digital, the group said the cancellation caused financial losses and that the campaign had not worked with it to set a replacement date.
The symposium said 325 people had registered. It acknowledged that Talarico’s health took priority during his two-week absence from campaigning, but objected to canceling outright rather than committing to reschedule. The group described the event as an opportunity for Talarico to address skepticism among Central Texas African Americans and demonstrate his commitment to the community.
The report presents the cancellation as part of broader concerns about the campaign’s engagement with Black voters. An Austin-area Democratic operative, who had met Talarico and previously sought his former state House seat, told Fox News Digital that outreach and follow-through had been uneven. She cautioned that Black voters hold varied views, saying some are skeptical, some are not, and others remain undecided.
Talarico has pledged $25 million for voter outreach that would include door-knocking in Black neighborhoods, community events and engagement with Black churches. The operative said some people she had heard from were still waiting for funds. She characterized the money received by those accounts as only a small portion of what they had been told to expect, followed by a period without further communication. The report does not independently establish how much funding has been distributed or to whom.
The account also describes a recent appearance by Talarico on a Black voter coalition’s Zoom call. He reportedly made brief remarks about investing money, time and effort to win, and his feed then disappeared from the call. The report says there was apparently no public question-and-answer session, but does not provide an explanation from the campaign for the interruption.
At a July town hall in Houston, where Talarico announced the outreach pledge, nurse Kandice Webber urged him to stay past the event’s scheduled end and answer questions. The Texas Tribune reported her saying that Black people did not trust him and warning that he could not win without their support. Those remarks reflect Webber’s criticism, not a documented view shared by all Black voters.
The report recounts other disputes from the Senate primary. Former opponent Collin Allred accused Talarico of describing him as a “mediocre Black man.” Talarico said the characterization was inaccurate and that he had called Allred’s campaigning mediocre, not criticized him because of race. Rep. Jasmine Crockett, another primary opponent, separately accused Talarico’s campaign of darkening her skin in advertisements. The supplied report does not include Talarico’s response to Crockett’s accusation.
The Austin operative said she had raised concerns with Talarico in June about backing Democrats running for lower offices. She said he was gracious and indicated he understood, but that she later contacted his staff several times without receiving a response. According to her account, some candidates had said donors were directing their political contributions to Talarico’s Senate campaign and were asking whether he had endorsed them.
Fox News Digital said it contacted the Talarico campaign about the symposium’s and operative’s criticisms. The supplied material does not include a campaign response. It also does not provide the symposium’s detailed financial figures or confirmation of a rescheduling discussion from the campaign.
