DEL RIO, Texas, July 19 (Del Rio Online) — Democrat James Talarico and Republican Ken Paxton are taking their Texas U.S. Senate campaigns to South Texas, with Talarico stopping in Del Rio and other border communities as both candidates make border security a central part of their pitches.
Clifford Young, a pollster and Texas A&M Bush School professor, told CBS Texas the region is “critically important” in the race and described it as “a canary in the coal mine.”
Talarico has called his approach a “common sense border security plan,” saying it would add more Border Patrol agents, more immigration judges and more surveillance technology. He has also criticized a proposed wall through the Big Bend region, saying some parts of the border could use physical barriers but that it does not make sense there.
Paxton has leaned heavily on a tougher border message. “We need a secure border. We need to protect our country. We need to make sure that we take care of America first,” he said, according to CBS Texas coverage.
Talarico’s Frontera Tour has taken him through Del Rio, Eagle Pass, Laredo, McAllen and Edinburg, while Paxton held a rally in McAllen as the two nominees moved to court voters in the state’s border counties.
The political stakes are high in a region that has trended Republican in recent elections. CBS Texas cited election results showing Trump won 14 of 18 counties within 20 miles of the southern border two years ago.
