Rep. Jasmine Crockett files to run for US Senate after Texas redistricting
Rep. Jasmine Crockett, D-Texas, filed to run for the U.S. Senate on Monday after another Democratic contender dropped out of the race. Crockett’s decision follows intense speculation and a Texas redistricting effort that shifted her former district into more Republican-held territory.
Crockett is one of two Democrats and two Republicans who hope to unseat incumbent GOP Sen. John Cornyn next year.
Another Democrat, former Rep. Colin Allred, dropped out of the race Monday in anticipation of Crockett’s announcement. He said he would instead run for the Dallas-area congressional seat currently held by Democratic Rep. Julie Johnson.
Crockett will compete against state Rep. James Talarico in the Democratic primary on March 3. Talarico announced his candidacy in September.
Could Crockett win the primary?
Crockett brings national name recognition, both positive and negative, to the primary campaign against Talarico.
A recent poll from Change Research showed that 40% of Texas voters had an unfavorable view of Crockett, compared to just 9% for Talarico. However, nearly 50% of respondents had never heard of Talarico before.
Talarico was the clear frontrunner for respondents who had heard of the candidates, according to the poll. Among them, 48% said they had a favorable view of Talarico, and 18% said they held an unfavorable view, while 40% viewed Crockett favorably and 48% viewed her unfavorably.
The poll suggests that Crockett’s name recognition might work against her in a statewide race. In the last few years, conservative media have painted Crockett as a liberal firebrand. People on both sides criticized her controversial comments about Texas Gov. Greg Abbott during a Human Rights Campaign fundraising dinner in March.
During the event, she called Abbott “Governor Hot Wheels,” in what was interpreted as a reference to his wheelchair. Abbott was left permanently disabled in 1984 when a tree fell on him, breaking his spine.
Crockett said she was not referring to the governor’s disability but instead to the “planes, trains, and automobiles he used to transfer migrants into communities led by Black mayors.” Abbott is one of several governors to bus unauthorized immigrants to other, typically Democratic-run states.
A different poll, from October, showed Crockett leading Talarico by 6 percentage points. The poll also included Allred and former Rep. Beto O’Rourke as potential candidates.
How likely is a Democratic Texas Senate win?
Cornyn, who is seeking a fifth term in the Senate, is in a tough race for the Republican nomination against Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and Rep. Wesley Hunt. Recent polling shows Cornyn and Paxton neck and neck, with Hunt trailing.
The last time a Texas incumbent lost a Senate primary was 1970, when Lloyd Bentsen defeated Democratic Sen. Ralph Yarborough.
Democrats in any Texas race face an uphill battle. The state hasn’t elected to Democrat to the Senate since 1990. However, in recent elections, Republicans have won by fewer than 10 percentage points.
In 2024, Sen. Ted Cruz defeated Allred by 8.4 points, even as President Donald Trump carried the state by 14 points.
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Ella Rae Greene, Editor In Chief
