Abbott Spent Campaign Money Mocking Democrats Outside Their Own Convention
Gov. Greg Abbott’s campaign ran an organized counterprogramming operation outside the Texas Democratic Convention in Corpus Christi on June 26, 2026. The effort included two Texas Longhorn bulls draped with “Don’t Buy the Bull” towels, a van circling downtown with attack ads, and a Republican-aligned group called Radical Texas distributing free tacos branded with names mocking Democratic U.S. Senate nominee James Talarico.
The bull stunt was literally that: Abbott commissioned two cattle, 18-year-old Buckero and 17-year-old Dallas, positioned near the convention center where thousands of Democratic delegates gathered. The van camped outside the venue for part of the day, displaying ads targeting Talarico and national Democrats including Kamala Harris.
Texas Republicans Have Won Three Straight Cycles. They’re Still Nervous.
The Abbott campaign’s decision to spend resources on convention counterprogramming is itself a tell. Texas Republicans have dominated statewide elections for three consecutive cycles, and Abbott has governed without a credible general-election threat for years. The tacos and bulls aren’t the behavior of a party that’s comfortable.
Democrats see 2026 as their best opening since 2018. That year, former El Paso Congressman Beto O’Rourke came within 3 points of unseating U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, running a grassroots campaign in a cycle shaped by opposition to a first-term Republican president.
The political conditions rhyme. President Trump’s approval ratings are low, and Democrats are running two nominees with distinct economic pitches. Talarico, the Democratic Senate nominee, is running against Attorney General Ken Paxton, whom he called “the most corrupt politician in America” at the convention Friday.
“Our state is being taken over by a new kind of tyrant: billionaire megadonors. They’re not invading with an army. They’re just buying the system.”
James Talarico, Democratic U.S. Senate nominee, Texas Democratic Convention, June 26, 2026
Gina Hinojosa, the Democratic nominee for governor, appeared alongside Talarico at the convention, though Abbott’s outside operation focused its attacks almost entirely on Talarico and avoided targeting Hinojosa by name.
Both Democratic nominees framed their campaigns around economic populism, accusing Republicans of using culture-war fights to distract from what they described as corruption and hollowing out of the middle class.
The November general election will be the clearest test of whether Texas Democrats have rebuilt enough infrastructure and enthusiasm to convert a favorable national climate into statewide wins. For now, the fact that Abbott is spending campaign funds on cattle rentals and taco trucks says something about how Republicans are reading the map.
What You Can Do Now
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Register Texas voters you know before the October 7, 2026 deadline. Texas has one of the shortest voter registration windows before an election. Direct people to vote.org/register-to-vote and confirm they’re registered in the county where they currently live, not a previous address.
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Contact your Texas state Democratic Party at (512) 478-9800 and ask how to volunteer for get-out-the-vote operations in competitive congressional or statewide districts. The 2018 cycle showed turnout infrastructure made the difference in single-digit races.
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Look up Ken Paxton’s impeachment record before the Senate race heats up. The Texas House impeached Paxton in 2023. The Texas Senate acquitted him. Read the Texas Tribune’s impeachment coverage to understand the factual record before campaign ads start reshaping it.
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If you live in a Texas swing congressional district, contact your U.S. House member at (202) 225-3121 and tell them you’re watching their votes on Medicaid, tariffs, and reproductive rights before November. Competitive Texas House seats will track the top-of-ticket race closely.
Sources
Texas Tribune: Abbott Trolls Talarico with Tacos and Cattle at Texas Democratic Convention
Texas Tribune: Talarico and Hinojosa Deliver Populist Pitches at Texas Democratic Convention
Texas Tribune: 2018 Texas Senate Race, O’Rourke vs. Cruz Final Results
Texas Tribune: Ken Paxton Impeachment Full Coverage Series
[Quote: “Our state is being taken over by a new kind of tyrant: billionaire megadonors.
They’re not invading with an army. They’re just buying the system.”, James Talarico, Democratic U.S. Senate nominee. Texas Tribune]