The Latino vote just reshaped the Texas Democratic primary—and the political establishment still doesn’t fully understand why.

In this episode of the Latino Vote Podcast, Chuck Rocha and Mike Madrid break down the stunning results from the Texas primary and what they reveal about the growing power of Latino voters in American politics.

From record Latino turnout in the Rio Grande Valley and Houston to the campaign strategy that powered James Talarico’s victory, this episode dives into the data, the messaging, and the ground game that actually moved voters.

Chuck shares behind-the-scenes insights from the campaign:

• 28,000 volunteers mobilized
• 4.7 million peer-to-peer texts
• 100,000+ door conversations
• Millions invested in Spanish-language media and culturally targeted outreach

Mike and Chuck also discuss:

• The 60-40 Latino split that determined the Talarico-Crockett race
• Why cultural competency and early outreach matter
• The emerging national Latino voting trend heading into 2026
• What a new California Latino voter poll reveals about the governor’s race

Are Latino voters becoming the most powerful swing voting bloc in American politics? We told you that 2026 was our year.

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Recorded March 5, 2026.

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Referenced in the episode:

• The New York Times - 'How Latino Voters Helped Talarico Win in Texas': https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2026/03/04/us/elections/texas-primary-talarico-crockett-results-votes.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share
• CBS News - 'Julie Johnson, Colin Allred advance to runoff in Texas' 33rd Congressional District Democratic primary': https://www.cbsnews.com/texas/news/texas-33rd-district-democratic-primary-results-allred-johnson/
• California Governor’s Race 2026 – Likely Latino Voters by David Binder Research: https://latinos.vote/posts-pollresults-cagovernor-mar2026/
• Politico - 'GOP targets California for ballot fight on voter ID': https://www.politico.com/news/2026/03/02/california-voter-id-00807437

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