Texas Representative Jasmine Crockett has officially entered the race for a Lone Star State U.S. Senate seat, adding her name to the list of Democrats hoping to flip it.

Recent polling has shown all Democratic Party candidates, including state legislator James Talarico, with work to do to win over enough voters to beat whoever the Republican nominee ends up being.

Why It Matters

Texas has become a key focus of the 2026 midterms, with court action against redistricting efforts by the GOP as President Donald Trump looks to secure a longer-term Republican majority in Congress. Meanwhile, Democrats have long struggled to gain a statewide seat, and growing name recognition for Crockett could be one way for the party to change that.

What To Know

Crockett could face off in the primary against state legislator James Talarico, Representative Joaquin Castro, and former Representative Beto O’Rourke, with the latter two being floated as potential candidates.

The congresswoman entered the race Monday after former Representative Colin Allred dropped out of the Senate race, shifting his focus to a new congressional district.

Polling through the spring and summer pitted Allred against Republican hopefuls, including incumbent John Cornyn, with the Republican coming out on top in all polls gathered by 270 to Win—generally between 43 and 48 percent against Allred’s 37 to 46 percent range.

Crockett was rumored to be entering the race for several weeks, with a University of Houston-Texas Southern University poll on October 9 showing her against current Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton 47 percent to 49 percent. Talarico was on 46 to 49.

Against U.S. Representative Wesley Hunt, Crockett was on 45 percent versus his 50 percent in the same poll, while Talarico was on 44 percent. Against Cornyn, the pair were on 44 and 45 percent respectively, against 50 and 48 percent for Cornyn.

Overall, polling remains tight for both Crockett and Talarico regardless of who the Republican rival ends up being, but a rundown from Real Clear Polling showed the GOP still winning, regardless of the nominee, by anywhere between 1 and 6 points on election day next November.

What People Are Saying

James Talarico, Texas state representative and Senate primary rival, said in a statement emailed to Newsweek Monday: “We’re building a movement in Texas—fueled by record-breaking grassroots fundraising and 10,000 volunteers who are putting in the work to defeat the billionaire megadonors and puppet politicians who have taken over our state. Our movement is rooted in unity over division—so we welcome Congresswoman Crockett into this race.”

Representative Jasmine Crockett, in a statement on her website: “I’m a battle-tested fighter who’s gone toe-to-toe with Abbott and Paxton and I’ve faced hundreds of attacks from Trump himself. I’ve built winning coalitions and brought together voters of all backgrounds, all stars and stripes, and every walk of life under the common belief that government should be of and for the people.”

Ken Paxton, Texas attorney general, said in a statement emailed to Newsweek Monday: “Crazy Jasmine Crockett is going to lose by double digits in the general, but John Cornyn has ALREADY—nearly six months out from the runoff—stolen $40 million that should have gone to Senate races in Georgia, NC, Michigan, etc. Even after lighting all that money on fire he’s still so unpopular in Texas that he’s in third place in the primary, unless of course he’s paying for the poll. The bottom line is that John Cornyn wants to sacrifice the GOP Senate Majority by spending $100M on his losing primary race. It’s beyond selfish, but that’s just who he is.”

What’s Next

With a few months to go before primary day, it remains to be seen whether Democrats will coalesce around a well-known name like Crockett—who has gained recognition for her efforts to hold President Trump, Texas Governor Greg Abbott and Republicans in Congress to account—or if they will go for Talarico, who has shown more widespread favorability among his party’s base.

Voters will select their Democratic Party candidate on March 3, 2026. If no winner is clear, a runoff will take place in May.