Supporters of Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton gathered at the T&P Station in downtown Fort Worth this week for a stop on his “Come and Take It Tour,” part of his Republican campaign for U.S. Senate against Democratic candidate James Talarico. The event drew a full room, with several attendees sharing their views on the race with Breitbart News.
Leonard Lang, who said he moved to Texas from California five years ago, told the outlet he began following Talarico’s positions during the primaries. Lang described Talarico as a “progressive” and said he believes progressive politics undermine capitalism.
“They will make more government, more bureaucracy, they will make more regulation. It’s already a broken system as I’ve told you. They don’t mind. It is a mission to destroy capitalism. The progressive movement started in the 1880s and that is their mission, to destroy capitalism. And I’m a capitalist,” Lang said.
Another attendee, identified as Michele, said her biggest concern for the state was what she called a drift toward “communism, socialism, or Sharia law.”
“I do not want Texas to go under communism, socialism, or Sharia law. That is a huge concern of mine. I see that’s where we’re headed, and I don’t think a lot of people’s eyes are really open to the fact that how close it is,” she said.
Michele, who lives in Tarrant County, said she believes residents of Fort Worth are less aware of political and demographic changes happening elsewhere in North Texas than people in nearby Frisco and Allen.
“In Fort Worth, a lot of people don’t know what’s going on in Frisco and Allen… because in a weird way, we’re sheltered here,” she said, adding that she worries some locals assume Tarrant County will remain reliably Republican. “I say yeah, but you know just go down 35 a little ways or go down 121 a little ways, there’s mosques… So I wouldn’t say it’s coming, but it’s here.”
Michele said many voters do not fully understand political terms like socialism or communism and suggested that contributes to public trust in candidates like Talarico, a pastor.
“They trust those in power. They trust the Talaricos. They say ‘He looks like a good ole boy. He’s a pastor, he knows what’s going on. He’s a pastor,'” she said.
Her comments echoed remarks made Monday by Rep. Brandon Gill (R-TX), who criticized Talarico’s campaign advertising for what Gill described as an attempt to project a more moderate, small-town image.
“I think that’s the kind of stuff that Texas voters see in James Talarico… I think most Texans see what James Talarico, how he’s trying to portray himself and what he actually believes, and realizes these are two very different Talaricos and they’re very off-put by it,” Gill said.
Michele also described her own political shift, saying she became conservative about a decade ago after watching what she characterized as the effects of the Democratic Party and welfare programs on members of her family. She said she and her daughter experienced two years of homelessness in California before she attended culinary school and later moved to Texas, where she now runs a baking business.
She said the lower cost of living in Texas compared with California has allowed her to build what she called generational wealth for her daughter. Ahead of the midterms, Michele urged voters to research candidates independently and to look up the definitions of political terms.
“Look up words like socialism, look up words like capitalism, look up words like fascism… Take a few seconds to look up what these terms mean,” she said.
The Fort Worth event came as a recent poll showed Paxton holding a narrow lead over Talarico in the Senate race. Speaking Monday evening, Paxton told the crowd, “Join us in the fight. While Talarico fights for his radical agenda, we fight for faith, family, and freedom. We fight for Texas’ future. I believe this with all of my heart: The reason Texas is going to stay the reddest state in the union is because of what you all are going to do in the next few weeks.”
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