Democratic U.S. Senate nominee James Talarico is launching his first TV ad of the general election Thursday with a spot in Spanish set to air during the FIFA World Cup, continuing his push to win over the Latino voters who are expected to be pivotal in Texas’ November midterms.
The statewide ad buy, first shared with The Texas Tribune, comes in at more than $800,000, according to Talarico’s campaign, a sizable spend nearly five months out from Election Day. It is a sign of the Austin Democrat’s cash-flush campaign coffers and his focus on bringing Latino voters back to the fold, following recent election cycles when their swing to the right powered landslide wins for Texas Republicans.
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The ad is set to air on Telemundo during every U.S. and Mexico group stage match of the tournament. It will first go up Thursday during Mexico’s match against South Africa, and continue during five other games over the next two weeks: U.S. vs. Paraguay on Friday, Mexico vs. South Korea on June 18, U.S. vs. Australia on June 19, Mexico vs. Czechia on June 24 and U.S. vs. Turkey on June 25. The World Cup will be hosted in Houston, along with 15 other cities across the U.S., Canada and Mexico.
“Since the beginning of this campaign, I’ve pledged to be a senator that represents all 31 million Texans, including the nearly 8 million Texans who speak Spanish,” Talarico said in a statement to the Tribune. “Building a movement to take power back for working people requires uniting together on one team to take power back for ourselves and our communities.”
Talarico is facing Attorney General Ken Paxton, the Republican nominee, in what will be a vastly expensive battle. Talarico’s ad buy, fueled by his record-breaking fundraising, is the first by either candidate in the general election.
In the 30-second ad, a narrator in Spanish emphasizes Talarico’s background as a teacher and public education advocate, his plans to defend Social Security and Medicare, and his push to raise taxes on billionaires.
“Talarico’s shown he has the grit and determination, but he’s still depending on your vote,” the narrator says in an English translation. “And just like that, we’ll all be yelling: ¡Talaricooooooooo!”
The spot is a continuation of Talarico’s efforts to shore up support from Latino voters, who helped power his Democratic primary win. Ahead of the March contest against U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett, the Austin Democrat aired ads in Spanish, maintained a social media presence in Spanish and leaned on influential figures such as Carlos Eduardo Espina, a popular Latino content creator who promoted Talarico to his millions of TikTok followers.
Recent polling has shown Talarico and Paxton running essentially even. A public poll fielded by Texas A&M University, Siena Research Institute and ReconMR from June 1 to June 4 found Talarico winning Latino voters by 12 percentage points over Paxton. The Austin Democrat maintained a net positive 11-point favorability rating among Latinos, with a quarter unsure, while Paxton was 12 points underwater with 20 percent unsure.
Meanwhile, in surveys across the country, Latino voters have cooled on President Donald Trump over rising everyday costs and the administration’s high-octane deportation campaign. A scattering of special elections, including a Democratic upset in a North Texas state Senate district, also have measured a fizzling of Latino support for down-ballot GOP candidates.
Latino voters made up nearly one in four votes cast in Texas during the 2024 general election, according to estimates by VoteHub. Republicans, led by Trump at the top of the ticket, made significant gains with Latinos that cycle, especially in South Texas. Those voters are expected to play a significant swing role in this year’s midterm elections, when Democrats hope backlash to the Trump administration and broader political tailwinds can help power them to their first statewide victory in Texas since 1994.
Disclosure: Texas A&M University has been a financial supporter of The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization that is funded in part by donations from members, foundations and corporate sponsors. Financial supporters play no role in the Tribune’s journalism. Find a complete list of them here.