James Talarico
October 30, 2026 · Newsletter
Clear eyes, full hearts, can’t lose
At this time of year in Texas, there’s no better place to be than at a high school football game — the band, the roar of the crowd, the chill in the air.
No matter who you are or what you look like, everyone in town is there for the same reason: to root for the same team.
In a few hours, those Friday night lights are going to come on all across Texas, but before they do, I wanted to give this movement — our team — a pep talk of my own.
There’s that moment in every game — the last play of the last drive — when you have to leave it all on the field.
Right now, we’re in that moment. In the final days of this election, they’re coming at us with everything they’ve got.
The billionaire mega-donors and their super PACs have spent over $300 million against us. This is the most expensive Senate race in American history — and more keeps coming. Use this link to help us fight back by making a donation before our October fundraising deadline.
They’re scared. They’re terrified. They see what we see: that we’re about to do something extraordinary, something historic. We are gonna shock the nation and shock the world when we beat the billionaires and take back Texas.
When I was in high school, they were filming a TV show in our area. It was called Friday Night Lights.
It’s a show about the Dillon Panthers — an underdog high school football team and their coach, Eric Taylor.
In the first episode, before the big game, Coach Taylor gives a locker room speech and he says:
“They’re going to come at you with everything they’ve got. I expect you boys to execute. I expect you boys to play football.”
And then he ends with six immortal words:
“Clear eyes, full hearts, can’t lose.”
We have four days left to win this election. We have to execute. We have to leave it all on the field. We have to win.
Our fellow Texans — and, frankly, millions of people across America — are counting on us.
And I’m counting on you, too. I can’t do this alone. If you’re looking for a way to make an immediate impact, please consider making a donation before our October deadline tomorrow — the last fundraising deadline of this election.
This is the last play of the last drive. This is when we leave it all on the field.
Let’s do everything we can to make sure we have absolutely no regrets when the ballots are counted.