Democratic U.S. Senate candidate James Talarico plans to hold a statewide food drive next week as Republicans descend on Dallas for President Donald Trump’s midterm convention.
The “Love Thy Neighbor” food drive is intended to draw a contrast with the GOP gathering and highlight rising grocery prices, a key focus of Talarico’s campaign against Republican Attorney General Ken Paxton.
“Next week, billionaire donors and their puppet politicians will gather at a convention in Dallas to toast their own corruption,” Talarcio said on social media. “In the shadow of this Billionaire Ball, we’ll be collecting food to help Texans struggling with rising grocery prices.”
The campaign will collect donations at sites in Dallas, Plano, Glenn Heights, Fort Worth and Denton from Sunday through Tuesday. On Wednesday, volunteers will distribute food from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Frederick Douglass Human Services and Justice Center in Dallas.
The campaign is also collecting donations Tuesday at sites elsewhere across the state, including El Paso, McAllen, Lubbock, Eagle Pass, Harlingen and Tyler.
The convention is also serving as a major fundraising opportunity for Republicans. Some lawmakers are being charged $25,000 for a package that includes two convention tickets, a hotel room and access to a welcome reception, according to POLITICO. The RNC is separately asking donors for $250,000 to attend a roundtable with Trump and more than $88,000 for a photo with the president, according to The Wall Street Journal.
The competing events come as affordability has become a central issue in the Senate race. Talarico has proposed raising the minimum wage, expanding overtime pay and providing universal child care, while Paxton’s economic plan calls for eliminating property taxes for homeowners, cutting state spending and regulations, and expanding oil and gas production to lower energy costs.
