How's It Going for Talarico? BLM Activist Shouts Him Down at His Own Rally As He Simps for Crockett

The identitarian singularity has landed on Democrats in Texas – with a vengeance, perhaps literally. 

James Talarico has begun his general-election campaign for the US Senate by attempting to convince Democrats to turn out for him. That should give outside donors some reason to consider whether investment in Texas will provide any kind of return, especially given all of the money sunk into similar state-wide campaigns by Robert Francis "Beto" O'Rourke and Colin Allred. Neither of them came close to paying off their investors, and they didn't start off by getting berated by Black Lives Matter activists at their own rallies, either.

Talarico, on the other hand ...

Wild scenes at a James Talarico rally:

Woman goes OFF on him — full scream, with a finger in his face:

“Answer our questions or you suffer the consequences.”

Another attendee yells, “Say it with your chest!” pic.twitter.com/LfSZUVwDf0

— Steve Guest (@SteveGuest) July 19, 2026

State Rep. James Talarico, the Democratic candidate for U.S. senator from Texas, was about to answer the final question of a town hall in southwest Houston on Sunday when 50-year-old Kandice Webber stood up.

"Our people don't trust you for this reason," said Webber, who is Black, after the crowd quieted to listen. "And you cannot win without us. So you stay here, you answer our questions, or you suffer the consequences."

Talarico turned his attention to her and attempted to cool the tension: "I appreciate you being here, and I appreciate you traveling in and I appreciate you-"

"I came for my people, not for you," she said.

The crowd murmured. 

"It's alright, it's alright, it's alright," Talarico said. "This is what this conversation is supposed to be about."

He turned to answer more questions and push the event longer, but Webber stayed standing, visibly disappointed.

Who is Kandice Webber? She's not just a random voter in Houston, where Talarico appeared in hopes of dialing down anger among black voters over his defeat of Jasmine Crockett in the primary. Newsweek identifies Webber as a Black Lives Matter organizer, and notes the big problem this exchange highlights:

Talarico added that Black Texans—a group he failed to sway despite winning the Democratic primary in March—were a particular focus. According to The New York Times, U.S. Representative Jasmine Crockett—who ran against Talarico in the primary—secured over 86 percent of the votes from predominantly Black areas. Talarico, meanwhile, safely won the white and Latino vote, securing a 53 percent to 46 percent victory in the overall contest. ...

The Houston Chronicle identified the woman who spoke up as Kandice Webber, an activist and organizer for the Houston wing of Black Lives Matter. Newsweek has contacted Webber via Facebook for comment outside regular working hours.

In the video, someone informs the crowd that Talarico would answer one more question, prompting audible frustration from parts of the audience. Following this, Webber tells Talarico directly that she drove 45 minutes to attend, wanted the event to be televised and would not leave until he answered her questions.

So ... did this "particular focus" work to resolve the intersectional feud among Texas Democrats? Not if Webber has anything to say about it:

"He has no real interest in improving the quality of life for Black Texas. He came to our city expecting this to be easy," Webber wrote in the caption. "Black life is hard and if we take it easy on these white moderates who over promise and under deliver we are doing harm to our own communities."

"We showed up like we said we would with questions, real questions," Webber said in the video posted on Sunday, adding that "everyday Black people" are going to "sit this sh** out," referring to November's general election. Webber said that abstaining and allowing Talarico's opponent, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, to reach the Senate would decrease the Republican's "ability to terrorize and torture Black Texas voters."

I guess Talarico's attempt to debase his own supporters for responding to Crockett's attacks didn't help much, either:

“She’s a leader in this country, and she deserves the utmost respect,” Talarico, the Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate in Texas, said at a town hall in Houston.

James Talarico, the Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate in Texas, is speaking out against his supporters who have continuously disparaged his former opponent in the race, U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett.

“If you claim to be my supporter, if you claim to be a part of this movement that we are building, please keep Congresswoman Crockett’s name out of your mouth,” Talarico demanded on Sunday during a town hall in Houston.

There's a reason this appeasement didn't work on Webber or anyone else in the room. If Talarico really thinks Crockett is a "leader in this country," why did he compete against her in the primary for the US Senate? Talarico can't even describe himself as a leader in Austin with a straight face. Using the keep her name out of your mouth colloquialism is transparently an attempt to "code" with a black audience too, which amplifies the patronizing aspect of Talarico's inauthentic white-knighting for a black woman who clearly despises him. 

And that's just how it looks to Democrats. Imagine how Talarico's simping looks to independent and Republican voters. Ken Paxton may have his issues, but he at least has intestinal fortitude when it comes to defending his own supporters. Sheesh.

As I wrote a couple of weeks ago, the chickens of intersectionality are beginning to roost in Texas for Democrats:

Socialism and wokery have one thing in common: both require some form of "intersectionality" to operate. Like most everything else in authoritarian economies – and both socialism and wokery require top-down command economies in all things – goods such as political support and attention operate on a shortage basis and create zero-sum tensions. Any resources that went to Talarico are, in the intersectionalist mindset, resources that could not be duplicated elsewhere and therefore were denied to Crockett. The Party is the rationing authority in this system, and certainly in Crockett's mind, and she thinks the Party should have directed those resources to her as a black woman rather than to the "white Leftist" in the race. 

So do her supporters in the BLM movement, and perhaps even more broadly than that. Talarico's simping makes it clear that he thinks they may have a point, too. What a sorry sight Texas Democrats now behold in this cycle. 

Editor’s Note: The 2026 Midterms will determine the fate of President Trump’s America First agenda. Republicans must maintain control of both chambers of Congress.

Help HotAir continue to report on the Democrats’ radicalism and inform voters as our nation faces a crossroads. Join HotAir VIP and use promo code FIGHT to receive 60% off your membership.