U.S. Senate candidate James Talarico faced sharp criticism from Black Texas voters during a recent town hall event in Houston, where attendees accused him of failing to address concerns about systemic issues affecting their community.

Video footage captured by the Austin American-Statesman’s Faith Bugenhagen showed a Black woman at the event declaring, “So you stay here, you answer our questions or you suffer the consequences.” Other participants clapped in support of her statement, while one attendee urged, “Say it with your chest.”

Talarico acknowledged the woman for traveling to attend the town hall, but she responded, “I did it for my people, not for you.” The candidate called her comment “wonderful,” prompting murmurs from the crowd.

Despite defeating Rep. Jasmine Crockett in March’s Democratic primary by more than six points, Talarico has struggled to gain traction among Black voters in key counties such as Harris and Dallas. Crockett secured over 86 percent of votes in predominantly Black areas during the race, while Talarico won the white and Latino vote with a 53 percent to 46 percent margin overall.

Talarico had previously stated that “we’re hoping to connect directly with Black Texans across the Houston area,” citing an “unprecedented attack on Black Texans” in recent years—including voting rights, public education, healthcare, and historically black colleges and universities. However, his campaign has drawn criticism for what some view as a disconnect from the community he claims to represent.

The incident occurred during a town hall event Talarico described as an opportunity for Houstonians to ask questions about his plans to confront “Big Money and corruption” in Washington, D.C.