And you've been watching a CNN and Jubilee town hall with candidate James Talerico in Fort Worth, Texas. Thank you for staying with us for this special edition of The Source. I'm Kaitlan Collins. We're going to check back in with Aaron and some of those audience members that you just heard from, asking some really great questions of the candidate in this tight race. Are they satisfied with what they heard? Did it change anyone's mind inside that room tonight, or anyone watching? I'll be joined here by some of our top political reporters, data experts, and strategists with insights and analysis on what we just heard from James Talerico, who, as you can see there, is saying his goodbyes to the audience members that he was just sitting down with, and also, of course, who is vying to become the first Democrat to win a Senate seat in Texas in 38 years.
We're 20 days out from the midterm elections, and tonight a pair of new polls that we've gotten show no clear leader between Talerico, the Democrat in this race, and his opponent, the Republican Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton. Now, polls like that explain why President Trump and Vice President JD Vance have been making several stops in Texas in just the last two weeks alone, and why these two parties have spent more than half a billion dollars on this Senate race alone. And as we keep an eye on Fort Worth, James Talerico is there greeting everyone, saying goodbye. Obviously, we're watching it all closely. And I also have my powerhouse sources here at the table with me. And Paul Begala, you're our Texan. You tell us what you got.
Three of us are Texans. This is a great... Three of us are Texans. Nothing against Mason, but we're outnumbered.
We're feeling a little outnumbered. We need some Alabama folks.
You know, Jay is a friend of mine. I've known him for a number of years. Having said that, you know what I was thinking of? I was thinking of July 27th, 2004. Fleet Center, Boston, Massachusetts. A skinny state legislator with a funny name that nobody had ever heard of gave the best speech I've ever heard at a convention, the best introduction to the nation I've ever seen. These people in Fort Worth, 22 years from now, they're going to say, 'Man, I was there when James Talerico burst on the national scene.' We've all heard about him, okay? But my friends around the country have not. And I thought it was wonderful because it was him. It was authentic and it was engaging. It was intelligent, empathetic, but it was strategic.
This was a heat-seeking missile at Republican voters who supported John Cornyn but don't like Ken Paxton, and independent-leaning Republicans. That's why he went 90 minutes all positive. In just the last minute, he had to kind of put the wood to Mr. Paxton. That's fine. This was relentlessly positive because he knows those voters — they've already heard all the bad about Ken Paxton in the primary. He's reaching them with ideas and positive and moderate positions. I just thought it was brilliant.
And so, Sophia, I mean, obviously another Texan that we've got with us. And I should note your sister is running for governor of Texas as a Democrat in that race. We've had her on the show. People have heard from her. She's running against Governor Abbott. But what did you make, obviously from your perspective? Because Democrats have obviously been heavily invested in Texas before, come up short. What did you make of what you heard tonight?
Yeah, absolutely. So I think there are a few things. One is he had a positive message, but he also talked about how we are all on the same team regardless of political party. He also talked about a lot, and the message I think that is working in Texas for Democrats right now is that it is us as Texans versus a few billionaires. And when they're talking about a few billionaires, they're also talking about the elected leaders in the state that have enriched themselves. You heard a little bit about it tonight from James Talerico talking about how a man in public service has now made $27 million and owns almost 15 homes. How does that happen when you were in public service? There is some corruption there. So this message of it is us versus those very few that are benefiting off the policies made by Republicans is really working at a time when people are struggling with costs. And I would say on the other hand, if you look, if you are in the state of Texas and turn on your television, there are ads and they are not on the economy. All of those ads are on culture wars, and Republicans believe that what happened in 2024 when they ran on the culture wars will work again this year. And that is just not the case when they are in charge of everything and have not delivered on affordability.
Yeah. What was his line about the minority that he wants to talk about is the billionaires?
Billionaires. Exactly. Yeah. Yeah. The exact line was, 'The only minority destroying America is billionaires.'
Yeah. Which was a response of obviously, you know, taking those culture wars and what has been such a focus of this. Sher Michael, as the Republican, how did you hear that? I mean, because this is a close race.
It is a close race. Look, he's a talented guy. I'll give him that. But he pretended to be a moderate tonight. Here's a guy who was asked about school choice by one of the questioners and he said it was essentially a scheme by billionaires outside of the state of Texas. Well, tell that to the mother and the father who would like to remove their child from a bad school system. He talked about wanting to — Aaron actually challenged him on ICE. Several months ago, his campaign said we have to remove ICE, tear it down, something new, whatever that new thing is. Apparently, they didn't know then. He doesn't know now. And he said, 'Well, that's no longer my position, and I think we need to reform ICE because now I'm a moderate Democrat who believes we need to have some type of immigration reform.' That's not what he said several months ago. So look, I think he's a talented, clever guy. He's running in a competitive race which is outside of the norm considering the environment. But I'm looking at a governor who is in a close race against Sophia's sister, who's raised nearly $100 million, currently $20 million cash on hand, with 92% approval of Republican voters in Texas. If he wins in Texas — and look, Ken Paxton is certainly not my kind of guy. He is not morally or ethically, and I'll just be honest about that. But he's who the hell we have because Donald Trump decided to endorse him. It is what it is. That said though, if Abbott wins, I'm of the assumption that he will pull Ken Paxton with him across the finish line. I don't see Texas Republicans split tickets the way they did in Georgia with Governor Kemp, and then they voted for Raphael Warnock as opposed to the football player that President Trump endorsed at the time.
Jeff Mason, this is a race that the White House is deeply invested in. I mean, Trump doesn't like the way Ken Paxton looks or dresses or talks, as he has made clear in many appearances that you and I have covered. But that is his candidate, and they have been in Texas because clearly they are worried about James Talerico's momentum.
Well, and I think in part to Sher Michael's point and yours now, it's his candidate, and therefore his reputation is also on the line. Not only the president's reputation as a picker of candidates, but also potentially his agenda if this particular race ends up turning the Senate blue. So there's a reason he's going to Texas, and the advance is going to Texas, and it's that they want to help him even if they're not entirely sold, or President Trump isn't entirely sold on his appearance and some of the other things.
Yeah. And I thought the format was really interesting tonight because obviously voters were directly asking him questions. It's a town hall, but there was also this moment where he would sit down across from voters and engage with them on a range of issues from, you know, housing affordability to abortion and all kinds of topics.
And picking up on what Paul said, I mean, in my reporting, a lot of people who may be against President Trump are also skeptical about Democrats and feel like Democrats don't have a vision for the country. And he used this town hall tonight to express his vision. It could end up being a bit of an example for others in the party. Look what he's doing here.
The town hall ended, you know, 10 minutes ago. He's still there. He's talking to people one-on-one. That's reminiscent — I already compared him to Obama. That's reminiscent of my boss, Bill Clinton. And here's why it's so hard for a Texan to do that — a Texas politician. Clinton was from Arkansas. And I always used to tease him that Houston has more people than the state of Arkansas. It's adorable. They get their own little state. Okay. But he learned person-to-person politics by growing up in a small state.
Yeah. For James, who's running in a state with 30 million people, two time zones, 19 media markets, for him to still have the touch of a guy who could just sit and chat with you. You know, they're going to have to drag him out of there, the way we used to have to.
Yeah. And he remembered that one voter who got up and described his two sons as butt-heads. I just heard him a second ago saying, 'You're the one with the two kids at home,' which was good recall because that happened about 8:15. David Urban, you're also here with us, and as you were watching that, you know, Republicans have been sweating this race. I think as Sher Michael just laid out there, he thinks that maybe Governor Abbott being at the top of that ticket will help pull Ken Paxton, Talerico's opponent, across the line. What did you hear tonight? What stood out to you?
Oh, Kaitlan. Kaitlan, Kaitlan. Listen, the unchecked adulation of Paul Begala is almost too much for me to stomach. I love Paul. Maybe Paul should run for senator or governor. He's way better than James Talerico and way more likable. Listen, I heard a guy get up there and try to have it both ways, right? He's — 'I support oil and gas.' He introduced a piece of legislation in the Texas legislature to ban oil and gas. He's talking about the Bible. 'I think the Bible is silent on abortion.' Earlier in the year, he said the Bible gives explicit instructions how to perform abortions. He dodged. He weaved. He ducked. He didn't answer. Listen, no one asked a tough question on guns. It's the state of Texas. I'd like to hear his position on guns. I think some people came prepared. Listen, I love the format. You know, kudos to CNN for putting it on. And look, I give him credit for showing up and doing it, but nobody laid a glove on him. I wish there was somebody there who really pushed hard and asked him on some of these questions. He didn't answer the question when asked about, listen, why do you think about negative ads, and if you're going to work with everybody, you know, what are you going to do about them? He didn't answer that question, but talked about the deficit. He didn't say anything about, like, 'Well, we're going to rein in spending. I'm going to make sure we don't go crazy as Democrats and spend, spend, spend.' He painted himself as a moderate. As Sher Michael said, he is the furthest thing from a moderate.
Well, all right. We've got a lot more thoughts to get to tonight. David Urban, everybody's here. Harry Enten is also standing by with us. We're going to also check back in with Erin Burnett. She's still there with those undecided voters in Fort Worth who attended the town hall. What did they make of James Talerico tonight? We'll be right back after this.
And welcome back to a special edition of The Source. We are fresh off that CNN and Jubilee town hall with Texas Senate candidate James Talerico in Fort Worth, Texas. The Democratic candidate took questions from a live audience of Texas voters, some of them who showed up undecided. My colleague Erin Burnett is with some of those audience members. Erin.
All right. Thank you. And Mr. Talerico is still here talking. He's been, you know, meeting people, taking pictures, talking to voters ever since this ended just a few moments ago. I am here though with three women who were undecided. You all said when you came in, and you did have a chance to talk to Mr. Talerico during the town hall to ask questions, but you were undecided coming in. And I believe Tina, you're a registered Republican, right?
You are a Republican. You are an independent.
And you're an independent. Okay. So you came in with different perspectives. Okay, so I guess let me just start over here with you, Monica. You just brought up AI data centers. Yes. Now, I was in the room watching. There were a few topics where there was applause across the board. Not everybody, but applause across the board. The Iran war was one of those. AI data centers, raises for teachers were another one of those. AI data centers was another one.
Okay. So you asked him what he was going to do about it, right? Did the answer satisfy you? Did you change or not change your mind? Did you decide who you're going to vote for?
Um, when he actually mentioned that Ken Paxton is actually, you know, for data centers and that he was actually going to give some resolution to that, you know, he actually has in mind to actually give some policies against that, or, you know, that did kind of sway me a lot. So I think he probably will get my vote after hearing that he has that policy in place.
So for the AI data centers. All right. Tina, you asked about the border.
Which was a top issue for you as well as for others in the room.
Okay. So what did you hear?
Well, what I heard him say is a no to my answer, which is: if someone enters our country illegally and has no legal right to stay, will the federal law support deporting them?
Deporting them. Thank you.
And even though he kind of talked around it, he still said no, that he doesn't believe in that.
So it was interesting. I'm curious because he talked about, well, if someone's a criminal, in any case, he thinks they should be kicked out, right? That protecting — that was unacceptable. But he did talk about Uber drivers and people in the community, correct, that he felt they should have a pathway to citizenship. But that did not resonate with you?
Um, no. I heard that, and, um, sure. I mean, yes, have a pathway to citizenship, but my question was very specific, which was: if you've entered into our country illegally and have no basis to stay legally, should you be deported? And so that was my question. So should federal law support that?
I understand. So where do you stand now? Are you still undecided? Did that shift you towards Paxton? Where are you?
That didn't shift me either way. It's just another data point. We still have time to make and research this. I got to hear a lot of points that he made today, and I will continue. I've been doing my research on all of the candidates, and that is civically responsible — that we don't just choose because of a party line, that we should know who we're choosing and then support that. But, so yeah, I'll...
So you're still what? You're still...
I'm going to still — I'm Republican, right? And I'm going to continue to do my research to make sure that I'm doing my...
So let me ask you, and I'm sorry, I just want to keep pushing because people are following this race so closely. Is your choice for you right now between Talerico and Paxton, or is it between Paxton and maybe somebody else, or you sit this one out? I mean...
I'm not sure yet. You know, what's important to me is women and making sure that women are able to have opportunities, and making sure that, you know, that firefighters are protected. And so this isn't just immigration for me.
That was just one question you had.
It was. Yes, this is broad, and I think coming into this room I said that there was not one issue that was going to sway me one way or the other. This is about Texas and our legacy, and I stand on legacy. I know that a lot of people on stage today were eighth generation, and I'm a fourth-generation Texan, and so it is important to me as to what happens when the next person gets into the Senate and how they vote.
And he was talking about housing. He did — he made a point of saying, by the way, there were certain issues where he didn't care what California or New York Democrats did, that he would do whatever Texas wanted, even if it, quote-unquote, pissed the Democrats off. Okay. That's what he said. You talked about housing. Did he win your vote?
I think I'm going to take my American right and not express that. But what I will say is I think my goal tonight was to express to him: there are Texans that lived here before the inflation and before the high rises of gas and different things like that, and we should not brunt the cost of having a great migration. I think that it is important for the Texas economy to grow, but not at the expense of people who stayed in Texas because we already knew the quality of Texas before everyone else caught on.
On that issue. Yes. Were you satisfied with his answer? Did that hit you positive?
I'm satisfied with his answer, but what I'm burdened with is what most minorities are burdened with. We are sold a lot of things during a political campaign, but when they get in office, the priority changes. So for me, it's going to be like as if someone starts a job. Whomever wins, those first six months are going to be critical for me to watch and be able to observe if they really meant what they said.
All right, which I know is the big question that all of you have, whatever your political party may be. Thanks so much to all of you. Back to you guys.
And thank you so much. It's so great to hear from them, and really interesting to see their takeaways, especially after listening to James Talerico himself. And of course, we are listening and talking to the voters in the room. It's not just those who are undecided in the room. Also, voters who had made up their minds and got the opportunity to sit down and debate James Talerico directly. We're going to hear from some of them on their takeaways right after this.
You're watching a special edition of The Source tonight, following that CNN and Jubilee town hall with the Democratic Senate candidate James Talerico. They are in Fort Worth, Texas tonight. We're going to hear more from voters who were in that room and heard from the candidate himself in just a moment. When you're looking at Texas overall as we are leading up to the midterms, early voting starts there on Monday. And as he is hoping to attract independents and those crossover Republicans to support him, we heard a candidate tonight whose message repeatedly targeted voters who are in the middle.
What I'm trying to get back to is OG capitalism, where we actually reward work instead of wealth. And right now...
...and people could still accumulate wealth and...
Of course, I'm all for success. I want an economy that creates fewer trillionaires and more millionaires. Right now our tax system literally taxes work more than it taxes wealth. And I think that's backwards. So I'm campaigning on an all-the-above energy strategy that includes oil and gas. I want to protect the good-paying oil and gas jobs that support whole families across this state. And I want us to invest in the energy sources of the future — wind and solar and geothermal and hydrogen and batteries — so that we can stay dominant in the energy industry. What I don't want to see is politicians, frankly, in both parties playing politics with Texas energy. And so I will stand up to my own party if they mess with our oil and gas industry, and I will stand up to the other party if they mess with renewables, which we've seen in recent years. We need Immigration and Customs Enforcement in this country. But that's not what we're seeing.
What we've seen over the last year is a secret police force, and that's what we don't want in this country. We don't want masked men in unmarked vehicles coming through and terrorizing our communities. We don't want federal agents murdering our neighbors before our very eyes. I think we agree powerful people are using small minorities in our community to distract from their corruption. The only minority destroying America is the billionaires. They are constantly trying to divide us.
