As progressive independent Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont rallied supporters in Houston on Tuesday, two of Texas Democrats' highest-profile candidates were notably absent. Democratic Senate candidate James Talarico and gubernatorial nominee Gina Hinojosa did not attend Sanders' Houston stop on his "Fighting Oligarchy" tour, an absence that comes as polling suggests that democratic socialism remains unpopular with most Texas voters. Both candidates are trying to appeal beyond the Democratic base in a state where winning a top office requires support from independents and crossover Republican voters.
Political scientists say Sanders' campaign events give Republicans an opportunity to portray Texas Democrats as aligned with the party's left wing. "Any effort by Bernie Sanders is likely to be more of a negative than a positive for Texas Democrats," Rice University political scientist Mark Jones told Newsweek. "They don't really need to worry about enthusiasm.
Donald Trump does that all on his own in terms of motivating Democrats to turn out." Newsweek has reached out to the Sanders, Talarico and Hinojosa campaigns for comment. A June 2026 University of Texas/Texas Politics Project poll found democratic socialism was viewed favorably by 29 percent of Texans and unfavorably by 46 percent, leaving the ideology 17 points underwater statewide. Because of that, Jones argued, appearing with Sanders could create more problems than benefits for candidates trying to build broader coalitions.
"I believe James Talarico is right. That's a smart thing to do," Jones said of the Senate candidate's decision not to attend Tuesday's rally. "Any Democratic candidate who shows up probably has been poorly advised." University of Houston political scientist Brandon Rottinghaus offered a similar assessment.
"Senator Sanders's visit complicates the Democrats' centralized messaging on affordability," Rottinghaus told Newsweek. "His more progressive view gels with that take, but also opens up the doors to other kinds of progressive issues Democrats may not want to use as their closing argument to voters." Rottinghaus said Republicans have spent much of the election cycle attacking what they characterize as Sanders-style socialism. "Texas Republicans have been running against Bernie Sanders-style socialism all cycle and his visit is likely to generate opposition among Republicans as much as support among Democrats," he said.
Republicans have already sought to capitalize on Sanders' Texas visit. On Tuesday, Governor Greg Abbott's campaign released a statement titled, "SANDERS' TEXAS VISIT PUTS SPOTLIGHT ON HINOJOSA'S HIGH-TAX RECORD," trying to tie the Democratic gubernatorial nominee to Sanders and the policies Republicans frequently label socialist. Vice President JD Vance flew into Tyler on Tuesday, days after Trump's third trip to Texas in a month.
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