As Texas State Representative James Talarico campaigns for the U.S. Senate ahead of the 2026 midterms, his platform places targeted equity for Black Texans at the center of his agenda. Sitting down with The Root’s publisher Ashley Allison for episode 4 of the digital series “What’s Popular?” Talarico outlines his legislative priorities—from direct capital access for Black entrepreneurs and increased federal investment in HBCUs to championing the passage of the John Lewis Voting Rights Act. Check out the full episode here.
Talarico, who beat out Dallas Rep. Jasmine Crockett in the Democratic primary earlier this year, addressed his state’s attempts to disempower historically underutilized businesses (HUBs) and detailed how he plans to unlock federal capital for Black business owners if elected.
Related: The Root Launches What’s Popular? Political Series
“I want to be the Senator for every single Black Texan. As the next U.S. Senator from Texas, I’ll represent the most African-Americans of any senator in the country,” Talarico told Allison. And that work of representing Black Texans doesn’t start the day after the election. It starts now. I want to be earning their trust and earning their respect and earning their votes, not taking their votes for granted.”
One way to earn Black votes, according to Talarico, is by addressing the concerns that many of his constituents have, one of which is the lack of funding towards the state’s array of historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs). In his conversation with Allison, he shared that he’s determined to do what he can to close the funding gap and make sure HBCUs have a fair chance of succeeding and pushing their students towards the future he knows they deserve.
“They [HBCUs] are getting thousands of dollars less compared to other institutions that have a similar number of lower-income kids. Imagine if we closed that gap—what our HBCUs in Texas could accomplish,” he said.
Another important concern for Talarico is the “unprecedented attack” on Black political power in his state, which he described as the “most aggressive since Jim Crow.” To address that, Talarico shared that if he is to win back former President Lyndon B. Johnson’s Senate seat, he hopes to be the deciding vote to pass the John Lewis Voting Rights Act at the federal level. By doing so, he hopes it’ll be a major stepping stone to further empowering Black and brown voters in Texas and guarantee their “God-given right to the ballot box.
Elsewhere in the interview, he discussed his plans to rein in big data center companies, what true public service will look like if he’s elected, and more.
Tune in to The Root’s YouTube to watch the full interview.
