RICHMOND, Texas — David Winkelmen was a lifelong Republican. Now, he’s block-walking for Democratic U.S. Senate candidate James Talarico, knocking door-to-door in hopes of bringing more voters along the campaign.
“I decided, I’m going to try something else,” said Winkelmen, a 72-year-old retired machinist from Houston. “May not be right, but we’ll see.”
In the competitive contest that will determine control of the Senate, Winkelmen is not the only one getting involved. A record-breaking 19 million Texans have registered to vote, Secretary of State Robert Howden said in a press release. That’s a 2% increase from the 2024 presidential election.
“[Voting] is a right we take lightly, but other countries don’t have that,” Debbie Kowalik, 77, said at a recent afternoon rally in the roughly 60,000-population town of Victoria for Republican Senate nominee Attorney General Ken Paxton.
During his speech, Paxton urged his audience to get out and vote.
“I want every person in this room to get out early, and then spend every day between now and November getting everybody that you know on our side,” Paxton said, prompting a roaring cheer from the crowd.
Paxton painted his opponent as a radical liberal who wants to “transition your kids.” That messaging worked with some attending the rally.
“[Talarico] just popped out of nowhere,” said Keith Scott, a 77-year-old retiree from Victoria. “To be honest with you, he tells stories you want to hear. I don’t think he’s very trustworthy.”
But for Cynthia Stevens, she has hope that Talarico will make her cost of living go down. “I go to work then I go home, because it’s too expensive to do anything else,” she said at an early voting site in China Grove.
“I love his energy,” Stevens added. “I pray he’s different.”
The same day as the Paxton event in the Fort Bend county suburb of Houston, Talarico urged his crowd to vote at a rally of his own.
Even Texans who aren’t eligible to vote are still getting involved. Chanakya Khanna, a 17-year-old hoping to work in politics, scurried around Talarico’s rally with his friend wearing matching hats that said “Daniel Wong: Republican for Fort Bend County Judge.”
“I’ve been a Republican since I was 8 years old, and I’ve followed every Republican person after that,” said Khanna, who volunteers for Wong’s campaign.
Despite his right-leaning views, the high school senior decided to stop by the event to hear what Talarico and other speakers had to say, including Wong’s opponent, Democratic county judge candidate Dexter McCoy.
“Young people who are participating today are waking up to their own power, and I just am excited for what that means for their future,” McCoy said from the stage.
Although Khanna identifies as a Republican, he is enjoying the discourse that comes with a competitive election. “It’s nice to see that because now we’re able to have conversations where you can listen to the opposite perspectives,” he said.
Jade Stenson, 26, doesn’t always vote. She said she doesn’t identify as a Democrat or a Republican. But in these midterms, something shifted.
It’s “a circus in the White House and I just need something done,” Stenson said at an early voting site in Richmond. Her vote for Texas Governor is going to Democrat Gina Hinojosa. “Greg Abbott has been in here for a long time, and I think he hasn’t done anything,” Stenson said.
For Stenson, affordability is a key issue in this election. She worries that she’ll never be able to afford an apartment, and grocery and gas prices are much higher than before.
“That’s why I’m here,” she said. “I wanted to make sure that I put my voice out there.”
Stephanie Schine, 72, said she is proud to see young people wanting to make a change in this world. After all, when she turned 18, she was one of the first in line to vote at the polls. Now, she spends her time as a retiree volunteering at voting centers.
“I try to encourage people to get more people to come out and vote,” she said. “Everybody has the right to do that.”
Schine said that the better parts of her life have already passed, so she’s looking toward the future of Texas for her three grandchildren. That’s why Schine and her husband voted for Talarico.
“This is our country, and it’s worth it,” she added, her eyes tearing up. “It doesn’t take much time, just a little effort and a lot of belief. And hope.”
Her husband, Frank Schine, also believes it’s time for change in Texas. He said the race is not about being blue or red: “It’s about democracy.”