By BRITTANY FHOLER
Cove Leader-Press
Hundreds turned out to hear from and meet U.S. Senate Candidate James Talarico and Texas Gubernatorial Candidate Gina Hinojosa during the rally held at the Central Texas Theatre in Killeen last Friday evening.
The doors opened at 6 p.m., with the rally starting at 7 p.m. Before the doors even opened, dozens of people were lined up outside into the parking lot, waiting to get checked in.
Attendees came from Copperas Cove, Killeen, Round Rock, Georgetown, Austin, Temple, Harker Heights and Gatesville to hear about the vision that these two candidates had for Texans.
Fred Chavez of Copperas Cove volunteered for the event, helping check people in and guide people to their seats.
“They called for volunteers, and I felt like ‘Yeah, it’s the least I could do.’ I sit at home and complain about what I don’t like; I need to get out and get busy, so I volunteered,” Chavez said.
Chavez said that seeing everybody come out to hear the candidates speak was “electric.”
“Everybody’s attitude: they were all happy. They were glad to be here,” Chavez said. “They felt like they were in their tribe. It was nothing but smiles and laughter. It was great.”
Chavez said that more and more people are becoming involved and aware in politics, even in Copperas Cove.
“The city is rising up. People are fed up,” he added. “People are bleeding money, and it’s not getting any better except for the guys at the very top, and that’s got to stop.”
Gina Hinojosa was introduced by Killeen Mayor Joseph Solomon. Hinojosa currently serves as a member of the Texas House of Representatives, representing Texas District 49 since winning the November 2016 general election.
Hinojosa said she first got involved in politics when she ran for the Austin ISD school board in 2012 when they tried to shut down her son’s school. She served on the board until 2016, when she ran for the State House of Representatives.
“Greg Abbott doesn’t work for us. He works for his billionaire donors,” Hinojosa said. “He works for the largest contributors into his campaign, and those are the data centers this year. People across this state know what’s up. People have wised up, and that is why all over the state we are hearing from Texans who are desperate for change. Out of six polls in the last three weeks, they show we are in a virtual tie with Greg Abbott.”
Hinojosa said that her agenda as governor will be to save Texas public schools and to give money back to Texas households.
“Because if you cannot afford to live and thrive in Texas, then the dream is out of reach,” Hinojosa said. “My plan is to deliver $1,500 to every Texas family. I call it the ‘Greg Abbott Corruption Tax Refund.’ Greg Abbott is hoarding that money in a way government has never hoarded money in this state.”
Hinojosa said the money for this initiative would come from the state’s Rainy Day Fund, which has grown to a record balance of more than $24 billion.
“Nobody trusts government. I don’t trust government,” Hinojosa said. “We have to build back trust. I say we give the money back to the people because the people know how to spend it better than government.”
James Talarico has served as a member of the Texas House of Representatives since 2018, representing Texas House District 52 and then Texas House District 50. Prior to running for office, Talarico was a middle school teacher on the west side of San Antonio for two years.
Friday’s stop in Killeen was part of the Talarico campaign’s New American Dream tour, where they are visiting 10 cities across Texas to talk about the new vision for the economy.
“One thing is clear: all over this state, in big cities and small towns, in red areas and blue areas alike, everyone is struggling,” Talarico said.
He added that for many Texans, “the American dream has become an American nightmare.”
Talarico said that this affordability crisis has been 50 years in the making since the late 1970s, when mega-donors bought and paid for politicians on both sides of the political aisle.
“We have an affordability crisis because we have a corruption crisis. We’re getting screwed,” Talarico said. “No matter if you’re a little more conservative or a little more progressive, we’re all getting screwed.”
He added that billionaires who are buying the system don’t care about politics, only profits.
Talarico said it is time to focus on medical debt, on predatory credit card interest rates, on strengthening labor unions, and especially focus on the national debt.
He added that Congress can close the deficit by closing billionaire tax loopholes, lowering taxes for regular Americans and ending wars in the Middle East.
Talarico added that this New American Dream is scaring the people in power at the top.
“They’re afraid of crowds like this in Killeen, Texas,” he said. “They are afraid of Texans coming together across race and gender and age and party to dream a little bigger. They are going to call this new American Dream ‘radical.’ They’re going to call it ‘extreme.’ Those names that they’ll call us only reveal how small their dreams really are.”
Talarico said that it is possible to build an America of limitless opportunity for all Texans.
“That’s why I’m in this race. That is what this election is all about,” Talarico said. “In the U.S. Senate, we are going to have the back of every Texan who is working hard and playing by the rules.”
The General Election is Tuesday, November 3. The last day to register to vote is October 5. Early voting starts October 19 and ends October 30.
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