Too much attention has been focused on a white male because he is a white male. Talarico did not bring out Latino voters for him. Gina Hinojosa and Bobby Pulido did.
In the 2018 Democratic Primary, the leading candidate was Lupe Valdez. While she was Hispanic, she was also openly gay, which does not help with many of the Latino voters. A perfect example is the current mayor of San Antonio, Gina Ortiz Jones. Ms. Jones ran twice for Congress, and the second time, when she came out and told the voters she was gay, she lost by a much higher margin.
Below are the results for the governor’s primary in 2018. Below are the results for this year’s Democratic Primary: Talarico, Bobby, and Gina.
Andrew White’s name was also on this year’s governor’s ballot. He dropped out and didn’t campaign, but people don’t know that. Just like a significant number voted for Amanda Edwards in the Congressional 18th, even though she had dropped out.
Below are Beto O’Rourke’s numbers in the 2018 primary.
.
This year, Gina Hinojosa outperformed Talarico in total ballots. Remember, the US Senate race is at the top of the ballot. She did it with much less money and free publicity by the white media that was pushing Talarico.
.
How much did Talarico raise?
If Democrats want to win in Texas, invest in Gina Hinojosa and Bobby Pulido; this year, a large Latino turnout for the general election just might turn Texas Blue.
In many of the photos of Gina and Bobby, you can find Talarico-like gum stuck to them. He used them because they would have done what they did regardless of whether Talarico was at the top of the ticket.
.
.
2026 primary results
.
Ada Cuellar was an excellent candidate; she was the progressive in the race. Democrats would do well if they could enlist to help the party.
Progressive Democrats need to realize that probably the vast majority of Latinos are much more to the conservative side, especially socially. They don’t care if you are gay or if you want to use Latinx; just don’t throw it in their face. God, Family, Country, in that order.
.
Gina Hinojosa got more votes than Talarico.
