Democratic strategists are worried that Senate hopeful James Talarico’s chances of flipping Texas blue are being jeopardized by what they see as a major vulnerability: a lack of enthusiasm on the part of Texas Black voters, who are feeling “betrayed” by the party.

Local Angle

Veteran Democratic strategist Ashley Etienne, a former advisor to President Barack Obama and Vice President Kamala Harris, said that despite Talarico’s history of controversial statements, she believes he is “incredibly well positioned” to become the first Democrat to flip a Texas Senate seat blue in decades. However, she identified one major vulnerability, saying Black voters are “feeling like they were betrayed” by “what happened to Jasmine Crockett.”

Talarico, a Texas state lawmaker and Presbyterian seminarian, defeated Black congresswoman Rep. Jasmine Crockett, D-Texas, for the Democratic nomination for U.S. Senate earlier this year. Etienne explained that following Crockett’s defeat, “some voters, Black women in particular, are feeling as though the Democratic Party and Democratic candidates want our labor, but not our leadership.”

Challenges Ahead

Etienne posited that this sentiment is an “alarm warning for Talarico.” To pull off an upset in the traditionally solid red state, Etienne said Talarico will have to motivate the untapped voter base of approximately 1.1 million registered Black voters in Texas who are not voting. The key to doing that, she said, is appealing to Black women.

Original reporting: Fox News (HLL/CB) — read the source article.