Texas Democrats are drawing big guns this election cycle.
Former President Barack Obama appeared Tuesday alongside U.S. Senate candidate state Rep. James Talarico and gubernatorial hopeful state Rep. Gina Hinojosa as they campaigned at an Austin taco shop, videos circulating online show.
“Do you know our next governor and senator?” Obama asked patrons at the Taco Joint near the University of Texas, according to the Austin-American-Statesman.
The former president’s Texas visit comes as many Democrats read Talarico’s rising profile and President Donald Trump’s abysmal approval ratings as a chance to turn a statewide seat blue for the first time since 1994.
Indeed, Talarico and Hinojosa have upped their ground games in recent weeks. Both making unexpected trips to Fiesta in San Antonio last month to meet with the public and take photos, for example.
The latest polling from Texas Public Opinion Research shows Talarico leading U.S. Sen. John Cornyn by 3 percentage points and Attorney General Ken Paxton by 5. The two Republicans are locked in a primary runoff that will take place May 26, and the winner will face Talarico in the general.
Meanwhile, the same poll found Hinojosa leading Gov. Greg Abbott by 5 points.
Hinojosa’s campaign has worked to tap into Texans’ anger over public education, rising utility costs and the lack of a social safety net. Even so, her camp only has $617, 635 cash on hand — a meager sum compared to Abbott’s $100 million-plus war chest.
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