Barack Obama showed up Tuesday at Taco Joint near the University of Texas at Austin with James Talarico and Gina Hinojosa, making a low-key stop that carried an unmistakable political message. The three moved from booth to booth for around 30 minutes, talking with diners about issues ranging from data centers to voting.
Obama asked one group whether they knew Hinojosa and Talarico, then referred to them as the state’s “next governor and senator.” He did not make public remarks and did not formally endorse either Democrat, but the appearance still read as a notable display of national support for the two candidates at the top of Texas’ ticket this election cycle.
The setting fit the moment. Democrats are hoping backlash to the Trump administration will help deliver their first statewide victory in Texas since 1994, while Republicans are sorting through a high-stakes Senate runoff between U.S. Sen. John Cornyn and Attorney General Ken Paxton. Gov. Greg Abbott is also running for a fourth term with $96 million in his campaign coffers, a reminder of the scale of the fight ahead.
Obama’s visit was also part campaign stop, part public encounter. He ordered a sampling of street tacos and fish, mole and shrimp tacos, while the cashier recognized Talarico and knew his regular order of two potato, egg and cheese breakfast tacos. Hinojosa ordered two street tacos, no onions. Obama paid in cash and took no change.
The warm reception followed a familiar pattern for Talarico, whom Obama previously called a “terrific, really talented young man.” It also landed as a visible nod to Hinojosa, who is trying to make a statewide breakthrough in a state where national Democrats have not won at that level in more than three decades. The stop did not amount to an endorsement, but it did put the former president squarely in the middle of the Texas ticket at a moment when both parties are looking for momentum.
For Cornyn, who is fighting Paxton for the GOP nomination, the sight of Obama alongside Talarico was enough to invite a jab on social media, where he wrote: “Hope @jamestalarico also brings President Obama along with @BernieSanders to campaign with him in the general election.” That was the point of the appearance: even without formal words of support, Obama’s presence signaled that Democrats see Talarico and Hinojosa as serious contenders worth putting on the same stage with one of the party’s biggest names.
