Javier Palomarez at the event Diego Montano/Vaquero Radio
Texas State Representative and U.S. Senate candidate James Talarico joined UTRGV students virtually on Wednesday as part of “In Dialogue: TEXAS,” a conversation organized by the United States Hispanic Business Council (USHBC).
The event was held at the PlainsCapital Bank Student Union Theater on the Edinburg campus and featured USHBC President and CEO Javier Palomarez in conversation with Talarico about his campaign and issues facing Texans.
Talarico was originally scheduled to appear in person but participated remotely after becoming sick shortly before the event.
Chief of staff for the United States Hispanic Business Council Sabrina Gonzales, said organizers had to adjust to the challenging circumstances.
“We navigated some last-minute changes. Unfortunately, James Talarico was sick, but I think everything turned out incredibly well,” Gonzales said. “We were delighted that he was able to join us from his hotel room.”
Despite the change in format, students attending the event were still able to hear Talarico respond directly to questions about his campaign and positions.
Freshman finance major Nicolas Sandoval said hearing directly from candidates is important for students preparing to vote.
“We want to hear these things from the people that we’re voting for. And we got it,” Sandoval said. “You know, there was no delay in his responses. We heard everything that we wanted to hear right away.”
Members of campus political organizations also attended the event to learn more about Talarico and his campaign.
Junior political science major and public relations officer for the RGV College Democrats, Fani Melina, said becoming informed about candidates was one of the reasons students attended.
“We came out here to learn more about what Talarico’s campaign is all about,” Melina said. “You know, it’s really good to be educated.”
Talarico focused his participation on the event in resolivng doubts about his campaing that students and attendees had, aslo while giving his vision and his plans for the valley, making clear that he will be as involved as possible in local events and policies.
For more information on future events, visit the UTRGV webpage on Vlink.
This is Diego Montano for Vaquero Radio.
