From classrooms to voting booths to hospital delivery rooms, Black Texans are making their priorities clear ahead of the midterm elections. They’re demanding that politicians address educator pay, school funding, voting access, affordability and maternal health. The message is straightforward: political participation means more than casting a ballot. Black Texans expect candidates to listen, demonstrate accountability and deliver on their promises.
During a recent event for Senate Democratic candidate James Talarico, voters reinforced this sentiment. They emphasized that showing up for Black communities means tackling real policy concerns rather than assuming automatic loyalty at the ballot box. For younger voters especially, economic pressures are making politics increasingly personal. Kaylin McGlothen, community engagement director at the Texas Democratic Party, described how immediate financial concerns shape her perspective. “I am at the point where I’m paying bills. I am a homeowner, and these things are actually affecting me,” she said. McGlothen added that Gen Z is increasingly willing to research issues, speak out and challenge the status quo. “We’re just fed up, and we know that the future is in our hands,” she explained. According to a Black Texans engagement initiative, younger voters are showing record willingness to organize around these concerns.
Collective Action and Accountability
Change, many voters believe, begins with collective action.
Vincent, a voter at the Talarico event, expressed the sentiment simply: “It’s like we’re starting all over again. We’ve been struggling as African American, brown people all our lives. So this struggle is just a different struggle.”
McGlothen has witnessed growing enthusiasm for voting, with people committing to wait in line for hours and encouraging participation on social media. “I’ve seen people committing to standing in line for hours to vote, which is always fulfilling because you’re motivated enough to be out here for hours,” she said.
Economic concerns are central to these conversations. Texas Democratic Party Chair Kendall Scudder identified lowering grocery prices, addressing inflation and rooting out corruption as top priorities. “We’re not only running a historic campaign, but an intentional one,” Scudder said. “We’re meeting communities where they are, on their terms, and elevating the issues that matter most to them.”
Sheena Flanary, the party’s vice chair of voter engagement, stressed that voters want transparency and ethical leadership. Candidates’ track records matter. “What they’ve done, their voting record, it all aligns, so it’s not saying one thing and doing another, and expecting other people to hold the bags,” she said.
Representation, Education and Health
Voters also want candidates who are accessible. McGlothen noted that many complain politicians don’t make themselves available to the communities seeking their representation. She pointed to Talarico’s appearance at an HBCU tailgate as a meaningful example of community engagement.
Supporting Black candidates is equally important, according to McGlothen and Flanary. Flanary emphasized that these candidates are often “underfunded, under-resourced, and, quite frankly, underappreciated.”
Education remains a pressing concern. Sharon, a Texas teacher, said educators need political support and students need adequate resources. “To know that we have political people in office that’s gonna start support us and make sure that we’re doing what we can to educate the next future, that’s what we’re looking for,” she said.
Black Texans are also demanding attention to maternal health. Black women face disproportionate dangers during pregnancy and childbirth, a crisis that politicians have largely ignored. Alongside maternal health, educator pay, school funding, voting access and economic opportunity remain central.
Voters want affordable living, supported schools, accessible polling places and leaders who remain accountable after Election Day. The midterms represent an opportunity for candidates to prove they understand this.
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