Willie Nelson, Yo La Tengo Endorse James Talarico

Democratic Texas Senate hopeful James Talarico has been racking up endorsements from the likes of Don Henley and the Chicks ahead of the November midterm elections. Now, the state representative has landed the official seal of approval from Texan native Willie Nelson. The two were photographed together backstage at Nelson’s Fourth of July concert this year, and the country maverick features in a new Talarico online campaign video. “I’ve gotten to know James Talarico,” Nelson says in the short clip. “He’s a good man, who will be a good senator for the state of Texas. Please vote and vote for James Talarico.“

Also hopping aboard the Talarico train: Yo La Tengo, who’ll play a benefit concert in Austin on October 27. The entry fee is a $100 donation to Talarico’s senate campaign, and the show will be capped at 500 people. Check out the poster below.

Both Nelson and Yo La Tengo have extensive histories of political engagement. YLT’s goes all the way back to 2004, when they performed at a benefit for John Kerry’s presidential campaign; they also offered to play private acoustic shows in 2024 in exchange for donations to the Harris/Walz Democratic ticket. Nelson enthusiastically supported former Texas state representative Beto O’Rourke during his 2018 senate bid and 2022 gubernatorial run—both of which he lost. So of course, Ted Cruz has taken to X to snidely remark, “Willie’s music is great, but historically, this has been the beginning of the end for Democrat campaigns in Texas….”

Walden Green is a music writer and cultural critic who joined Pitchfork in 2024. A graduate of the University of Pennsylvania, his work has appeared in Dirt, The Fader, and Philadelphia. He lives in New York. ... Read More