(Photo illustration by Bill Kuchman/The Bulwark | Photos: Getty, Shutterstock)
WORLD CUP VIEWERS WATCHING the U.S. national team dismantle Paraguay 4–1 last Friday were treated to Telemundo’s play-by-play announcer Andrés Cantor unleashing his trademark “¡GOOOOOOOOOOL!” call as Folarin Balogun scored his second goal. At halftime, viewers would have seen a related Spanish-language political ad. Normally a vibe killer, this spot leaned into the moment. It laid out Texas Democratic Senate nominee James Talarico’s views on Social Security and Medicare, education, and taxing millionaires. More to the point, it’s layered with footage of Talarico spending time with Latinos, ending with a shout of “¡TALARICOOOOOOOOO!”
The ad is running during the first batch of Mexico and United States group stage games, and is part of the Talarico campaign’s $800,000 ad buy. Chuck Rocha, an adviser to the Talarico campaign who got his start working for Gov. Ann Richards in the 1990s, said it was the earliest he’d ever seen a general-election candidate spend on Spanish-language TV since those halcyon days.
It’s a canny move.
Talarico’s chances for victory in Texas this November are real, but they will be determined by ...
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