Steve Griffin from Dallas volunteered at the food drive. The rising cost of food and fuel has hurt people\u2019s pocketbooks, Griffin said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe reason we’re here today is because there are so many people in food insecure positions, and that hasn’t been addressed by the current administration at all,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
The unprecedented midterm convention suggests Republicans are concerned about the polls, said Cal Jillson, a political science professor at Southern Methodist University. An Aug. 24 University of Texas\/Texas Politics Project poll<\/a> shows Talarico leading Paxton 42% to 39%.<\/p>\n \u201cThey can read public opinion in regard to President Trump, in regard the war in Iran, in regard to various of their candidates, like Ken Paxton here in Texas, and even Governor Abbott is running only four or five points ahead of his Democrat opponent who has far less money and name recognition than he does,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n President Donald Trump isn\u2019t on the ballot, but the economic impact of his policies, including the ongoing conflict in Iran, are on many voters\u2019 minds. The resulting increase in gas prices has affected people\u2019s views of the economy, said Joanne Hsu, the director of the Surveys of Consumers at the University of Michigan.<\/p>\n \u201cConsumers are loud and clear that the number one factor on their minds when it comes to the economy is the cost of living,\u201d Hsu said. \u201cIt’s about purchasing power. It’s about high prices.\u201d<\/p>\n James Talarico talks about the volunteers working to collect food statewide during the \u2018Love Thy Neighbor\u2019 Grocery Drive on Wednesday in Oak Cliff. <\/p>\n Having a midterm convention while people are struggling financially is in poor taste, said Frederick Haynes, who\u2019s running for Jasmine Crockett\u2019s old Congressional seat. Haynes introduced Talarico at the food drive on Wednesday.<\/p>\n \u201cWhy do you wanna have a pep rally when people are hurting?\u201d Haynes said. \u201cAnd so to have this event basically says to the people, we hear you, we see you, and we want to do something about what you’re dealing with.\u201d<\/p>\n Paxton, one of Trump\u2019s strongest allies, has a difficult needle to thread when discussing the economy, said Thomas Gray, a political science professor at the University of Texas at Dallas. The Texas Politics Project poll <\/a>found about 54% of voters disapprove of the president\u2019s handling of the economy, including 1 out of every 5 Republicans surveyed.<\/p>\n “He’s simultaneously telling you that his ultimate purpose is to advance President Trump’s agenda, but also that the current economic situation is bad,\u201d Gray said.<\/p>\n Paxton has pointed at former President Joe Biden\u2019s policies as the reason for rising costs.<\/p>\n Paxton recently announced<\/a> he\u2019s distributing more than 7 million free eggs to Texas food banks. The eggs were acquired from a settlement in an antitrust lawsuit Paxton filed alongside several other state attorneys general and the Justice Department against three companies over an alleged conspiracy to inflate egg prices from 2022 to 2025.<\/p>\n \u201cI will continue to help our families put food on the table and do everything within my power to lower prices and help Texans who are struggling to make ends meet,\u201d Paxton said in a press release.<\/p>\n He was scheduled to speak Wednesday evening at the midterm convention.<\/p>\n Got a tip? Email Caroline Love at\u00a0clove@kera.org<\/a><\/p>\n KERA News is made possible through the generosity of our members.<\/p>\n![\"Skyler](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/1789040178_160_.jpeg\"\/)
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