James Talarico speaks at a campaign event in San Antonio earlier this year. Credit: Michael Karlis

State Rep. James Talarico received a jolt of social media attention over video of what the Houston Chronicle described as a “spirited exchange” over the weekend between the Democratic U.S. Senate candidate and a Black voter.

The clip, posted by Austin-American-Statesman reporter Faith Bugenhagen, shows influencer Kandice Webber confronting Talarico at a Houston town hall. Webber describes herself in her Instagram bio as “creating spaces that celebrate the Black femme existence by any means necessary.”

“You stay here, you answer our questions or you suffer the questions,” Webber told Talarico in the clip, which has already racked up half a million views on X.

In the video, an outwardly calm Talarico turns to Webber and responds, “I appreciate you being here, and I appreciate you traveling in and I appreciate you—”

“I came for my people, not for you,” Webber replies, cutting off the candidate. A murmur is heard spreading through the crowd as the clip ends.

Webber — who has more than 20,000 followers on Instagram and nearly 130,000 on TikTok — also said “our people don’t trust you for this reason,” adding that “you cannot win without us,” according to a Houston Chronicle report.

Sunday’s exchange comes as Talarico’s campaign focuses on outreach to Black Texans following his victory over U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett in the March primary. Crockett, who’s Black, was viewed as a rising Democratic star.

Some in the Black community, including Crockett during the primary, accused Talarico of running a “racist” campaign, pointing to a TV spot from a pro-Talarico PAC that allegedly darkened the congresswoman’s skin. Talarico’s campaign has denied that it saw the ad before it aired.

Further complicating matters, a Black influencer from Dallas alleged that Talarico described former U.S. Rep. Collin Allred, who’s also Black, as “mediocre.”

Talarico’s campaign, in a statement, later clarified that he described Allred’s “method of campaigning as mediocre.”

“But his life and service are not,” Talarico said at the time. “I would never attack him on the basis of race.”

Although some on social media have portrayed Talarico as struggling with Black voters, his town hall in Houston appeared largely productive, according to the Houston Chronicle’s report.

The crowd welcomed Talarico with a standing ovation, and he was introduced by U.S. Rep. Christian Menefee, State Rep. Lauren Ashley Simmons and Houston City Councilwoman Martha Castex-Tatum, all of whom are Black.

During the event, Talarico fielded questions for 90 minutes about preserving voter rights, standing up for Black farmers and protecting public funding for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion initiatives, according to the Chronicle. Several Black voters also reiterated why they’re voting for Talarico, the paper reports.

In a separate clip of the gathering shared by X user @bombonanton1o, Talarico urged supporters to stop fixating on his rivalry with Crockett in the Democratic primary. The congresswoman endorsed Talarico following her defeat.

“Let me say this as clearly as I possibly can; if you claim to be my supporter, if you claim to be a part of this movement that we are building, please keep Congresswoman Crockett’s name out of your mouth,” Talarico said amid cheers from the crowd.​

Talarico will need support from Black voters for a shot at defeating his Republican general election rival, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, and becoming the first Democrat to hold a statewide seat in the Lone Star State since 1994.

Black Texans make up 13% of Texas’ registered voters, which can make or break a candidate — especially one who appears to be in a statistical tie with his rival.

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Michael Karlis is a multimedia journalist at the San Antonio Current, whose coverage in print and on social media focuses on local and state politics. He is a graduate of American University in Washington,...