(New York) According to television host Stephen Colbert, Paramount Skydance, parent company of CBS, blocked him from broadcasting an interview with James Talarico, an up-and-coming Texas politician, in mid-February for fear of displeasing the Trump administration.
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CBS has denied the version of the facts presented by its rebel star, but one thing is certain: Stephen Colbert has managed to hype up James Talarico, Democratic candidate in the senatorial election in Texas, a major state where the first major primaries of the mid-term electoral cycle will take place on Tuesday.
The controversy surrounding CBS’s alleged censorship allowed the Texan to collect donations totaling $2.5 million in 24 hours and add no less than 4,000 people to its army of volunteers. What’s more, his interview with Stephen Colbert, which ended up being broadcast on YouTube, was quickly viewed nearly nine million times.
And it provided James Talarico with the opportunity to drop a phrase that makes Democrats dream. “Donald Trump fears we are about to tip Texas over,” he said, accusing the Federal Communications Commission of blocking his interview with Stephen Colbert.
Cornyn vs. Paxton
Another thing is certain: on the eve of the Texas primaries, Donald Trump is not the only one in his camp to have a knot in his stomach. On Tuesday, barring a surprise, none of the Republican candidates in the state senatorial election will obtain an absolute majority of the vote, or more than 50% of the vote.
PHOTO ANNIE MULLIGAN, ASSOCIATED PRESS
John Cornyn (left), outgoing Republican senator, at a campaign rally on Sunday
This means that a second round will probably be necessary, in May, to determine a winner. Incumbent Senator John Cornyn and Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton are the expected runners-up in a fratricidal duel that promises to be costly and potentially debilitating.
The latest news is that Donald Trump does not intend to support a candidate in this race where a third candidate, Representative Wesley Hunt, could collect around 20% of the vote on Tuesday. However, MAGA activists show a clear preference for Ken Paxton. Like Donald Trump, this die-hard conservative has stories of marital infidelity and financial fraud.
PHOTO JULIO CORTEZ, ASSOCIATED PRESS ARCHIVES
Ken Paxton, Republican candidate for the Texas senatorial election
Stories that John Cornyn tries to exploit in an ad accusing his rival of being “an unfaithful husband and a fraud”.
In Washington, John Thune, leader of the Republicans in the Senate, wants the victory of John Cornyn, who seems to him to be a safer bet than this sulfurous Ken Paxton.
“Honestly, if you look at the polls in a general election, I don’t think it’s impossible that the seat could flip, depending on who the Democrats nominate,” he told reporters last week.
Talarico vs. Crockett
Which brings us to talk about the other fratricidal duel in Texas, the one between the two main Democratic candidates in the state senatorial election.
James Talarico faces Jasmine Crockett. The 36-year-old is a member of the Texas House of Representatives, a Presbyterian seminarian and a Democrat who is reaching out to voters disappointed with Donald Trump. At 44, her rival is a member of the United States House of Representatives, a civil rights lawyer and a Democrat who shakes her fist at Republicans, especially Donald Trump.
PHOTO TONY GUTIERREZ, ASSOCIATED PRESS
Jasmine Crockett (L), Democratic candidate for Texas Senate, at a rally with supporters in Dallas on Friday
Some polls give the lead to Jasmine Crockett, who has mastered the attention economy thanks to viral interventions in the House or on social networks. She believes she can mobilize the Texas Democratic electorate in a way no candidate in her party has managed to do.
Other polls favor James Talarico, who is also comfortable in the current media ecosystem. Before being interviewed by Stephen Colbert, he seduced the manosphere’s number one podcaster, Joe Rogan, who encouraged him to run for the White House. After this interview, Barack Obama praised his effectiveness as a messenger, as well as his courage and authenticity.
Sexism and racism?
Who, James Talarico or Jasmine Crockett, would be best placed to create a surprise in November? For Republicans, the answer seems obvious: James Talarico. And most news pundits express the same opinion, infuriating Jasmine Crockett. The latter sees nothing in their predictions other than a whiff of sexism and racism towards a black politician.
The representative from the Dallas region also accused a group sympathetic to her opponent’s cause of having darkened the color of her skin in an ad that recalled the Republican Party’s efforts to promote her candidacy at the start of the campaign.
These efforts have not stopped. A conservative group called American Sovereignty recently sent text messages reminding voters of Jasmine Crockett’s opposition to ICE, a message likely to win over Democrats to its cause.
“Crockett is ICE’s worst nightmare, and she’s committed to ‘cleaning house.’ It is therefore not surprising that she is attacked,” assures the text.
But Democratic voters have also been hearing since Friday an automated call featuring the real voice of Kamala Harris.
“Texas is fortunate to send a fighter like Jasmine Crockett to the United States Senate,” said the former vice president and presidential candidate.
