Talarico, Trump hold dueling rallies in Lubbock

Two rallies in Lubbock

Democratic Senate candidate James Talarico and President Donald Trump held competing rallies Tuesday night in Lubbock, putting the Texas Senate contest at the center of attention one week before the election.

Talarico addressed supporters on the city’s east side. He argued that economic pressures and corruption are connected, while Democrats at the event criticized high gas prices and rural hospital closures. Talarico also accused Republican nominee Ken Paxton of corruption and criticized Elon Musk’s financial support for Paxton’s campaign.

Less than 3 miles away, Trump appeared at the Lubbock Memorial Civic Center to campaign for Paxton. Secretary of State Marco Rubio joined Trump at the event. Trump criticized Talarico’s views on gun rights and other issues and portrayed him as outside the Texas mainstream.

The two events drew lines stretching for blocks in Lubbock, a city with fewer than 300,000 residents. It was the first visit to the city by a sitting president in 34 years.

The Senate contest

Talarico’s stop in Lubbock brought his campaign into an area that generally favors Republicans. His campaign is seeking support from voters who have previously backed Republican candidates, while Democrats are trying to win a statewide Texas office after three decades of Republican control.

Paxton’s campaign received direct support from Trump at the nearby rally. The president used his appearance to encourage Republican voters to back the state attorney general and keep the Senate seat under Republican control.

The race has attracted hundreds of millions of dollars in spending. The Lubbock rallies gave each side a final-week opportunity to mobilize voters in the same West Texas city without the candidates meeting in a debate or joint appearance.