Jasmine Crockett was in the driver

DALLAS, Texas — There was one very obvious obstacle in Rep. Jasmine Crockett’s path to the Democratic Senate nomination in Texas: electability. And with less than two weeks left until the March 3 elections, he has not been able to approve it.

When she first announced her Senate campaign on the last possible day of November, it seemed like the Texas congresswoman was in charge. Former Rep. Colin Allred dropped out of the race as soon as it became clear that Crockett would run, giving him the opportunity to solidify black voters in the state. Her national profile as an anti-Trump warrior and reputation as a strong fundraiser meant she would have the ID and cash to become the favorite in a battle with state Rep. James Talarico.

However, with early voting already underway, it is clear that doubts linger in voters’ minds about Crockett’s ability to win in November, even though she and her allies have worked tirelessly to reject the idea that she cannot succeed in a general election.

The root of the debate is not ideology (both Crockett and Talarico are traditional liberals), but questions about Crockett’s claims that he can win simply by motivating base Democratic voters, especially black and Latino voters, to vote. Talarico, by contrast, often talks about his religious beliefs and the role they play in politics, a message that could appeal to a broader electorate in a conservative state like Texas.

via News

And some Democratic voters believe Talarico’s message is more likely to work in November.

“I love Jasmine,” Celinda Martinez, a Pflugerville retiree, told News themezone this week at a pro-Talarico rally. “My concern is that Texas is so red. I feel like we have a better chance, as much as I love her, and if she is a candidate who wins this primary, I’m behind her 1,000%, but I think we may have a better chance with Talarico because she could appeal to evangelicals and some of those moderate Republicans.”

Talarico’s allies have also pushed the idea that Crockett can’t win, with a super PAC backing him running ads noting that Crockett is “the Republicans’ favorite candidate” because she would likely lose in a general election.

The idea has merit: The National Republican Senatorial Committee boasted about spending money on polls to convince Crockett to run, and conservative pundits seemed eager to suggest a rift between Stephen Colbert and News over whether the Trump administration’s push to censor an interview with Talarico was actually a racist plot meant to boost him over Crockett.

The fight earned Talarico $2.5 million in donations over a 24-hour period, cash she could use to extend an existing 4-to-1 spending advantage over her on television, according to ad-buying sources.

A pro-Crockett super PAC this week published a survey showing her defeating Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, the front-runner in a messy three-way primary on the Republican side of the aisle that also featured incumbent Sen. John Cornyn and Rep. Wesley Hunt. She has also argued that her critics are misreading the electorate and that she can, in fact, win in November.

“We’ve done everything based on facts and data, and those who have argued that there is more upside for Talarico simply haven’t been paying attention to the trends,” Crockett told News themezone in an exclusive interview this week.

“What I didn’t anticipate was that our governor would also step in and spend money,” he added. “The governor decided to spend specifically on me right before the primary, and not on my opponent, almost indicating that while they say they think I’m the best candidate to win, they are investing their money in trying to prevent me from winning.”

Republicans would prefer to take on a partisan who often goes viral for her attacks on Trump and members of his Cabinet, especially in a red state like Texas. Although they have a own wild primary to solveRepublican operatives believe Talarico would be formidable in the general election, especially if the far-right, ethically challenged Paxton manages to unseat Cornyn and clinch the Republican nomination.

Polls on the Democratic race have been thin and all over the place. A University of Houston survey released last week put Crockett ahead of Talarico by 8 points, while an Emerson College Polling/Nexstar Media poll survey last month found Talarico leading Crockett by 9 points. Other polls have shown a tied race with many voters undecided.

The race has become more controversial in recent weeks, including accusations of racism by Crockett and his supporters. The congresswoman has criticized Talarico for not condemning what she described as “direct racism.” super PAC announcement supporting his campaign because it darkened the color of his skin. The ad used a dark filter for its 30-second duration, even for other people.

When asked by News themezone about Crockett’s comments, Talarico declined to respond directly, urging journalists to fact-check “allegations that are presented as news” for “clicks” on the Internet.

And then there was the storm earlier this month after a black influencer accused Talarico of calling Allred a “mediocre black man,” prompting Allred, who supports Crockett, to attack Talarico in a video posted on social media. Talarico instead insisted that he had described Allred’s “campaign method as mediocre” when he ran against Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) in 2024, a race he had lost by 8 points.

Crockett, a 44-year-old former civil rights attorney, has also dismissed doubts about her ability to win in a state like Texas, including those from other Democrats, as a “dog whistle.”

“It’s already been ugly. I’m a black woman in America, so I don’t know if I really expected otherwise,” she told News themezone of the campaign ads flooding the state. “I wouldn’t have entered this race if I didn’t think I had a chance beyond all the extra obstacles that normally come with someone with a unique candidacy like mine, so that’s what it is.”

Some of Crockett’s campaign moves have also left Democratic operatives scratching their heads, including the type of events she has decided to attend and her campaign’s decision not to spend money on television ads until late in the primary election. Crockett’s campaign argued they didn’t need to run ads early because of his high name recognition among voters, but that changed this month as Talarico gained traction. He also does not appear to have a campaign manager, according to acquaintanceand their campaign can be opaque and sometimes elusive.

But his supporters argue that an unconventional approach is exactly what is needed right now, as congressional Democrats fight to stop Trump’s agenda in Washington.

“He says the quiet part out loud,” said Stormy White, a North Richland Hills woman who came to hear Crockett speak at a “Not My President’s Day” rally in Dallas over the federal holiday earlier this week. “You may not like the approach, you may not like the way she talks, but she is what we need in Texas right now.”

The event drew about 50 people outside Dallas City Hall, where Crockett spoke briefly about his stance against Trump and his immigration crackdown as people waved “Bad Bunny for President” signs and held up old photos of Trump with the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

“DC is full of cowards,” Crockett proclaimed. “Everywhere I look…both sides of the aisle. People are afraid, they don’t want to face the kind of hate that I face every day.”

Bloomberg via Getty Images

Talarico, a charismatic 36-year-old Presbyterian seminarian and former high school teacher, has gained ground by combining religious language with progressive arguments for LGBTQ+ rights and reproductive rights, a style that has drawn comparisons to that of former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg. News’s decision not to air his interview with Colbert on “The Late Show” fit perfectly into his populist speech railing against all the corporations taking handouts in Trump’s America.

“These are the same people who opposed cancel culture, and now they are trying to control what we see, what we say, what we read. This is the most dangerous type of cancel culture, the one that comes from the top,” Talarico said at a rally in Austin on Tuesday. “They went after Stephen Colbert for telling the truth about Paramount bribing Donald Trump. Corporate media executives are selling out the First Amendment to curry favor with corrupt politicians.”

The massive demonstration in Quail Creek, a predominantly Hispanic area of ​​the city, attracted hundreds of people, mostly young people. But the crowd was overwhelmingly white, hinting at some challenges Talarico could face in a general election. Crockett, by contrast, has argued that her deep support in the African-American community puts her in a unique position to expand the electorate in November by bringing more minority voters to the polls.

Both campaigns have intensified their outreach to Latinos, a key voting bloc in the state, amid widespread backlash to ICE and Trump’s immigration policies.

“I think Latino voters on the border are in play,” a Democratic operative involved in the race told News themezone. “Both candidates have a lot of room to make up for with their name identification. I think that’s where the election will be won.”

Talarico is scheduled to hold a rally in El Paso this weekend, while Crockett will hold events in San Antonio.

Most Senate Democrats have doubts about Crockett, although they are staying on the sidelines for now. Having fallen short in previous elections, Democrats do not see winning the Texas race as a key part of their path to a Senate majority in 2026. Still, some Democratic senators have weighed in. Crockett announced the endorsement of Sen. Angela Alsobrooks (D-Md.) this week, while Sen. Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) endorses Talarico.

“She has a sassy, ​​energizing, engaging attitude,” Sen. Chris Coons (D-Delaware) told News themezone. “He has a way of connecting, engaging and talk about your values ​​that I think also touches many others. And there may be a difference between who has an advantage in the primaries and who is more competitive overall. But I would literally be guessing.”

At the anti-Trump “Not My President’s Day” rally in Dallas on Monday, attendees said they were trying to be strategic about who to support in the Senate race.

“I like where she is now, which is a strong anti-Trump advocate,” said Everett Upshaw, an attorney based in Crockett’s district in the Dallas area. “I think we need a Senate candidate who can maximize the chances of winning, because we have to break Republican control before it’s too late.”