Opinion

DAVID MARCUS: Ahead of GOP convention, Dallas Dems share worried optimism

Democrats at a Dallas Labor Day rally expressed determination but said Talarico lacks Beto O'Rourke's 2018 energy

By David Marcus Fox News

Published September 9, 2026 1:31pm EDT

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Texas Democratic voters weigh in on key issues, candidate campaign strategy ahead of RNC Midterm Convention

Texas Democratic voters share their perspectives on candidate endorsements, immigration, and economic pressures ahead of the election.

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DALLAS – There were a few hundred Democrats gathered at a venue called Lofty Spaces in Dallas on Monday, in a sweltering heat that could not hold back the annual Labor Day political rally. And while on the surface all was confidence, when you scratched a little deeper, you struck frayed nerves.

Ellen, a retired nurse who sometimes protests in a Statue of Liberty costume, was there, and agreed to an interview if I helped to take her gear to her car, which I would have done anyway, of course.

Ellen was optimistic about Democratic Senate candidate James Talarico in his race against Republican Ken Paxton.

"I feel very good about him, I’m very optimistic, I don’t think Texans are going to vote for a criminal, cheat, adulterer, Ken Paxton," she said.

When I pointed out that Paxton, the current state attorney general, had already won statewide elections twice, she smiled and said, "That’s the problem."

But not the only problem. Asked about Talarico’s Senate primary opponent, Rep.........

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