San Antonio residents nearly filled the Espee, an east-of-downtown venue with a 3,200-person capacity, on Sunday for a rally featuring Democratic U.S. Senate candidate James Talarico and gubernatorial candidate Gina Hinojosa. Attendees danced to a live cumbia band, painted pumpkins and viewed the Team Talarico ofrenda between speeches.
At the rally, the candidates criticized Republicans, who control Texas state government, for what they said was selling out the state to billionaires, including Elon Musk. They said the result has been rising prices and stagnant wages. Hinojosa accused Gov. Greg Abbott of favoring wealthy donors over ordinary Texans. Talarico accused Musk of trying to influence Senate election outcomes through $158 million in donations to Ken Paxton's campaign.
Paxton, Talarico's Republican opponent, canceled a Tuesday rally planned for the Alamo. He instead held a Sunday night gathering at the Angry Elephant, a Republican-themed bar in the northern suburbs, that reportedly drew about 100 people.
Experts told the San Antonio Current that Democrats cannot win statewide races in Texas unless their voters go to the polls. Polls show Talarico and Hinojosa in virtual ties with their Republican opponents.