As anticipated, James Talarico will speak at Baylor University this fall.
The Baptist-affiliated university announced Sept. 1 that Talarico, Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate, will host a campaign event at Baylor Sept. 16 at 7 p.m. in the Mark and Paula Hurd Center.
James Talarico (AP Photo/Brenda Bazán)
Although Baylor normally does not allow current candidates for office to speak on campus, the university did allow an outside group to host Republican nominee Ken Paxton last fall. At the time, university officials said they understood that meant Talarico should be given equal opportunity. Paxton was sponsored on campus by the Turning Point USA student chapter as a last-minute substitute for Donald Trump Jr.
There has been no public reporting of what Paxton said at the April 22 event in Waco Hall because the event was closed to the press and the public.
And while inviting Talarico to speak on campus this fall, the university also issued another invitation to Paxton, but his campaign was unable to on any of the dates offered, Jason Cook, Baylor’s vice president for marketing and communications, told the Baylor Lariat.
“This Senate race has great importance to the state of Texas and for the entire country, and the university has made a great priority on civil discourse over the past couple of years,” Cook said.
The university will provide the facility and help make attendance available to members of the Baylor community, Cook said. Talarico’s campaign will organize and run the event, while also covering the costs associated with renting the Hurd Center and providing security.
“This is a campaign event,” Cook said. “This is not a university event.”
Cook said Talarico’s campaign will provide students, faculty and staff with e-tickets to attend. The event will be held in the Hurd Center’s Grand Ballroom, which seats up to 880 people.
Paxton is a Baylor graduate and recently announced Baylor as one of 11 universities across the state forming Students for Paxton groups. Other targeted campuses include Southern Methodist University, Texas Christian University, Texas Tech University, the University of Texas at Austin, Texas A&M University, the University of North Texas, the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, Tarleton State University, Texas State University, and Angelo State University.
Last Sunday, Paxton appeared at a nondenominational church in nearby Harker Heights where his son-in-law serves as pastor and prayed over him to triumph over the “forces of darkness” in the campaign.