Texas’ Democratic U.S. Senate nominee James Talarico drew a crowd while campaigning during Homecoming Week at Texas Southern University as his campaign enters its final days before Election Day on Nov. 3.
Students at the HBCU said that while face-to-face engagement matters, they also want elected officials to address their concerns about resources and jobs once the midterms are over.
Talarico has been seen in the city’s Black communities, including churches and staple establishments, as he faces his opponent, Republican Attorney General Ken Paxton, in the midterms. Reminding the students that their votes could change the direction of Texas politics, Talarico urged them to cast their ballots.
In July, he also pledged $25 million to expand Black voter outreach across the state.
“We have an opportunity in this election to make history,” he said. “We have an opportunity to end 30 years of one-party rule in Texas. We need TSU to show up. We need every single university around this state to show up because you have the ability to remake this broken political system in your own image.”
Flanked by Houston Democrats, U.S. Rep. Christian Menefee, state Rep. Lauren Ashley Simmons, Harris County judge nominee Letitia Plummer, and rapper Monaleo, Talarico asked the young voters to “make their voices heard.”
The group then led the students to the polls.
A tight race
Talarico, a state representative, won the Democratic nomination against Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett in March. Crockett endorsed him soon after but has not been seen at Talarico’s campaigns ever since.
Meanwhile, Paxton beat Sen. John Cornyn in the May runoff after a late endorsement from President Donald Trump.
Recent polls show a close contest.
A recent University of Houston poll shows they are within a two-percentage-point margin of each other, with Talarico leading.
Show up and vote
Menefee, who represents the 18th Congressional District, framed the election around issues of funding for HBCUs, tying it to education overall, and voting access in minority communities.
“There are people in power in the state of Texas who have stripped Black history out of our education system,” Menefee said. “There are people in power in the White House who would do all they could to take funds away from HBCUs and divert them to other institutions. We got people running for Senate right now, a guy named Ken Paxton, who probably ain’t so much as been to a single Black community the entire time that he campaigned.”
“There aren’t a lot of people that advocate for HBCU students, especially because the people running for these positions didn’t come from HBCUs.”
Kennedy Bonds, a broadcast journalism student at Texas Southern University
Adding that if young voters do not vote, they cannot “complain”, being a part of a large Black electorate in Texas.
Monaleo asked the Gen-Z-majority crowd to carry the message about voter turnout online.
“We need to get these damn phones,” Monaleo said. “After we vote, we need to let everybody else know to get up and go vote. Get on your Snapchat, get on your Instagram, get on your social media accounts, and let everybody know that we gotta get up and vote. Because they not expecting us to show up like this.”
Does showing up matter?
For the students, the visit mattered as much as the campaign promises.
“It’s incredibly important because if a member who’s running for a campaign comes to the campus, it shows that they care about our vote,” said Jordan Seeger, a sophomore psychology major at TSU. “It shows that they care that we’re here, we’re part of the community, and they want to give us other information. To me, it means the world because it means that y’all see us as people, you treat us as people, and we deserve to be heard as well.”
The setting in Houston’s Third Ward made it more meaningful, said Mahogany Gray, a sophomore journalism major.
“It’s very important that they come to our campus, especially a historically Black university,” Gray said. “It’s beautiful. We are heard. We are here to stay, and we’re not leaving. We’re going to fight.”
What students want
Students discussed specific expectations from elected officials, particularly concerning resources for HBCUs.
“I feel like a lot of HBCUs are underfunded, especially when you compare them to other campuses,” said Drex King, a psychology major. “Don’t get me wrong, the education that we still get here is still valuable, and it’s just as valuable as any other college campus. We also still need more appreciation compared to other places.”
King also pointed out practical, local issues that impact daily life around campus, such as broken sidewalks.
Alanna Miller, who is in her sophomore year studying broadcast journalism at TSU, pointed to financial aid and jobs as expectations from elected officials after the midterms.
“A lot of people who don’t attend HBCUs realize that these things do affect us personally,” Thomas added. “Higher education…that’s under attack right now.”
Early voting for the Nov. 3 general election runs through Friday, Oct. 30. Election Day polls are open 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Harris County voters can use any county Vote Center.
While some students said they have already voted, many expressed in voting as early as possible.
Seeger, who voted on the first Monday of early voting, said the ballot was “reasonably long.”
“A test is worse than voting,” Seeger advised young voters. “Voting is so easy…Knowing the people, studying the candidates before you go in actually helps a lot.”
