The Central Texas African American Civic Engagement Symposium (CT-AACES) has expressed deep frustration over the cancellation of a scheduled event with Texas Democratic Senate nominee James Talarico. In an email obtained by Fox News Digital, the group stated that the cancellation, which affected 325 confirmed registrants, resulted in an "irrecoverable financial loss." The event was originally set for Oct. 5 but was scrapped during Talarico's two-week absence from the campaign trail due to illness. CT-AACES criticized the campaign for issuing a "flat cancellation" rather than committing to a rescheduled date, calling it a missed opportunity to address community skepticism.
The incident highlights ongoing tensions between Talarico's campaign and Black civic groups in the state. The group argued that Talarico's team had not engaged in rescheduling efforts, despite acknowledging that his health required priority. This development follows a $25 million pledge by Talarico to mobilize Black voters through door-knocking, community events, and engagement with Black churches. However, ground-level reports suggest these funds have not yet fully materialized.
An Austin-area Democratic operative who previously ran for Talarico's prior state House seat told Fox News Digital that follow-through on outreach has been uneven. The source, who met directly with Talarico, noted that "Black voters aren't a monolith" and rejected the idea that all Black Texans distrust the nominee. Instead, she described a mix of trust, distrust, and uncertainty within the community. Regarding the $25 million investment, the operative stated that some accounts had only received one or 2% of the promised funds before communications ceased. "We haven't received the money, but we're being told it's coming," the source said.
These criticisms follow several recent incidents involving Talarico and the Black community. Last week, Talarico appeared on a Zoom call with a Black voter coalition but reportedly disappeared from the feed without holding a public question-and-answer session. In July, during a Houston town hall where he announced the $25 million pledge, nurse Kandice Webber confronted him as the event was ending. According to the Texas Tribune, Webber told Talarico that Black people do not trust him and demanded he stay to answer questions or face consequences.
Talarico also faced controversy during his primary campaign after reports surfaced that he had characterized rival candidate Collin Allred as a "mediocre Black man." Allred responded in a video posted to X, accusing Talarico of revealing his true thoughts. Talarico defended himself by stating he described Allred's "method of campaigning as mediocre" and denied attacking him on the basis of race. Additionally, Rep. Jasmine Crockett, D-Texas, accused Talarico of darkening her skin in campaign ads against her. Crockett stated at a press conference that she views the alteration as a civil rights issue. The operative mentioned in this report also said she pressed Talarico in June to endorse down-ballot Democrats after hearing donors had exhausted their giving on his Senate bid. Fox News Digital reached out to the Talarico campaign for a response.