Talarico campaign hires new members to Black voter engagement team
James Talarico is expanding his Black voter outreach with veteran operatives.
Black News 
As the midterm elections near, the Texas Senate race is heating up with James Talarico and Ken Paxton’s campaign teams strategizing to garner more voters. While Black voter turnout remains a concern for many, the demographic holds crucial voting power that could affect the race’s outcome.
Talarico’s team announced new hires and partnerships to mobilize Black voters. He promised to allocate $25 million to increase Black voter outreach, one of the Democratic Party’s most reliable constituencies, at a town hall in Houston in July.
“For too long, the Democratic Party has taken Black voters for granted — these investments show we’re not going to make that same mistake,” Talarico said. “We’ve brought on some of the most-decorated operatives in Texas politics to lead this voter outreach effort because there is no way to win Texas without listening to, investing in, and showing up for Black Texans.”
The Defender reached out to Paxton’s campaign to gather information on Black team members but received no response to the press inquiry.
Who are the new hires?
Three political operatives, Aisha J. McClendon, Delilah Agho-Otoghile, and Cliff Walker, have joined Talarico’s campaign as political operatives.
- McClendon is a Dallas native and third-generation HBCU alumna who has more than two decades of experience in Democratic politics. She has worked in the Clinton White House and directed national African American outreach for Beto O’Rourke’s presidential campaign, served as a regional constituency director for Mike Bloomberg’s campaign, and led church and HBCU partnerships as National Constituencies Director at VoteAmerica.
- Agho-Otoghile is a Houston native and has worked as a political organizer and strategist. She led the teams that secured primary wins for the newly elected Congressman Christian Menefee and Fort Bend County Commissioner Dexter McCoy’s campaign for County Judge. She has also served as the executive director of the Texas Future Project, the Texas state director for Beto for America, the field director for Stacey Abrams’ 2018 campaign, and the national field director for Win Justice in 2020.
- Walker, a San Antonio native and former deputy executive director of the Texas Democratic Party, is the founder of Seeker Strategies, a Black- and Brown-owned communications and advocacy firm in Austin. He has served as the deputy executive director of the Texas Democratic Party, political director of Battleground Texas, and executive director of the Texas House Democratic Campaign Committee.
Where else is the money going?
The Talarico team clarified that it has also invested in voter turnout efforts and holding in-person community events in Black neighborhoods across the state. The investments include advertisements produced by Black-owned media firms and engagement with Black churches and HBCUs.
However, the dollar figures for these efforts have not been disclosed.
But the campaign has focused its attention on Black-owned communications firms for outreach.
These firms include:
- Bryson Gillette: It was founded by Bill Burton, who was the national press secretary for Barack Obama’s presidential campaign and deputy press secretary in the Obama White House. The firm’s work includes presidential and Senate campaigns.
- Foston International Communications: Based in Fort Bend County, the firm was founded in 1984 by president Judy Foston Stanford. Dr. John Stanford is the CEO. Its work spans Coca-Cola USA, the Communications Workers of America, Houston City College, U. S. Congresswoman Lizzie Fletcher, and print and radio programs for Beto O’Rourke’s 2018 U.S. Senate campaign and, later, radio advertising services for O’Rourke’s campaign for the Texas Governor race.
- Advantage Communications Group: Founded by CEO Linda K. Brown, it is a Houston-based campaign consulting firm with more than three decades of experience reaching voters. Brown formerly served as community relations director for KTRK-TV ABC-13, executive vice president and general manager of B.E.T., national press secretary for Rev. Jesse Jackson, and as a senior advisor to Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee, Congressman Sylvester Turner, and Congressman Christian Menefee.
What are the stakes?
The stakes surrounding this outreach can be traced back to Talarico’s nomination for the State Senate race, in which the four-term Austin state representative beat Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett, who was widely supported by Black voters in Texas.
The demographic, thus, occupies a persistent storyline in how the race shapes up.
Money, too, has played an important role.
Talarico has raised roughly $72 million since launching his bid for the seat, outpacing Paxton’s $16.8 million.
“For too long, the Democratic Party has taken Black voters for granted — these investments show we’re not going to make that same mistake.”
He has continued to campaign with other Black candidates, including Harris County judge nominee Letitia Plummer and Menefee.
A recent AARP poll puts Talarico ahead of Paxton by four percentage points. Meanwhile, a YouGov survey puts him in a five-point lead, and a Texas Public Opinion Research poll puts Talarico in a six-point lead. But an Emerson College survey found Paxton leading Talarico by one percentage point last month.
