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TexasTowelie

(111,312 posts)
Mon May 13, 2019, 05:45 PM May 2019

Turning Williamson County a Bluer Shade of Purple

Wading through the new political landscape of the Austin suburbs


He's the youngest member of the Legislature, and looks even younger than his 29 years, but James Talarico sees himself as more of a throwback. "Every election is located at a certain point in history, whether it's for dogcatcher or president of the United States," he tells me as we walk along a county road on the edge of Taylor. For him, that time is Trump Time, and "the sense I got was not necessarily that the people of this district wanted something new; I think they wanted something a little old-fashioned. And I think this walk is an example of that."

We're not walking alone. Surrounding us are a small band of Talarico's staffers, supporters, friends, and family, managing the Round Rock Democrat's conversation not just with this reporter but with scores of people via Facebook Live. On this Sunday, Talarico will walk 25 miles, holding town halls in Taylor, Hutto, and Round Rock and meeting his constituents along the way. "You think back to the 19th century – like the Lincoln-Douglas debates – where candidates went town to town and had a public exchange of ideas, and citizens participated directly.

"It feels like in the Age of Trump, we've lost that," Talarico continues. "It's become entertainment politics, this reality TV show, and social media with its algorithms promoting conflict with one another. People wanted to get back to having elected officials who would listen to them, engage with them, and wouldn't embarrass them."

As we know, millions of Americans found those people by voting for Democrats for the first time in a long time, and Central Texas likewise saw the purple wave break on Austin's shores. With the exception of a single term at the turn of the decade, the last time Williamson County was represented by a Democrat in the Texas Legislature was 1993, when James Talarico was 4 years old and, he says, already signed up for the blue team. "My mother told me I was a Democrat when I was in kindergarten," he says, "because she said Democrats are for the people, and I've tried to maintain that." (His mom, Tamara, is following us in the walking tour's de facto sag wagon. "Is he drinking enough water?" she asks me later.)

Read more: https://www.austinchronicle.com/news/2019-05-10/turning-williamson-county-a-bluer-shade-of-purple/
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