Country band The Chicks praised Texas Democratic Senate nominee James Talarico as a “man with a plan” while bringing him onstage at a concert in San Antonio last night.
“We have a very special guest tonight,” Natalie Maines, the group’s lead vocalist, told the crowd. “He’s a man with a plan.”
“He’s a man who would never take another person’s pen that doesn’t belong to him,” she continued, referencing an incident from more than a decade ago involving Talarico’s Republican opponent, Ken Paxton, reportedly pocketing a $1,000 pen, which his campaign has said was a mix-up.
Addressing the crowd, Talarico said that it was “so good” to return to the city, where he once taught sixth grade language arts.
“I have loved The Chicks for as long as I can remember,” Talarico said. “Their music, their songwriting, their harmonies, but also what they represent,” he continued, adding that he is “so proud” that the band is from Texas.
Talarico also lauded the group’s “courage, conviction, and a willingness to speak truth to power.”
More context: The Chicks, formerly known as the Dixie Chicks, faced backlash in the early 2000s for their comments about former President George W. Bush.
In 2003, before the invasion of Iraq, Maines said at a concert that the group, which got its start in Dallas, did not endorse the war and were “ashamed the president of the United States is from Texas.”
Their remarks about Bush triggered boycotts and backlash from fans, resulting in country stations across the country pulling the group’s music from the radio.
CNN’s Jack Guy contributed to this reporting.