{"id":497304,"date":"2026-03-01T10:21:18","date_gmt":"2026-03-01T10:21:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/497304\/"},"modified":"2026-03-01T10:21:18","modified_gmt":"2026-03-01T10:21:18","slug":"texas-democrats-prepare-to-decide-chaotic-epic-senate-race","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/497304\/","title":{"rendered":"Texas Democrats prepare to decide chaotic, epic Senate race"},"content":{"rendered":"<\/p>\n

Audio recording is automated for accessibility. Humans wrote and edited the story. See our AI policy<\/a>, and give us feedback<\/a>.<\/p>\n

For decades, statewide Democratic primaries in Texas were low-octane affairs.<\/p>\n

Then came the 2026 election cycle. In a year that Democrats see as a prime opportunity to finally flip Texas \u2014 amid flagging approval<\/a> for the second Trump administration, a vicious Senate primary on the Republican side and the potential to face scandal-plagued Attorney General Ken Paxton in November \u2014\u00a0Texas Democrats are waging a dogfight primary in the contest for U.S. Senate.<\/p>\n

For the first time this century, two Democratic heavyweights with national profiles \u2014 U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett of Dallas and state Rep. James Talarico of Austin \u2014\u00a0are battling for the party\u2019s nomination, making for an intensely competitive race that has drawn massive attention, dollars and stakes, and cast the outcome of Tuesday\u2019s election as a window into the potential future of the Democratic Party as it continues to grope its way out of the political doldrums of 2024.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s very exciting,\u201d said Beto O\u2019Rourke, perhaps the party\u2019s biggest star of the past decade. \u201cI was not alive the last time we had this kind of talent in a statewide Democratic primary.\u201d<\/p>\n

As Texans flocked to the polls to vote early in the two weeks before Election Day, Crockett and Talarico were barnstorming the state, drawing hundreds of attendees to campaign events and at times hitting the same cities within hours of each other to shore up every drop of support they could muster.<\/p>\n

In response to a University of Texas poll<\/a>, fielded before early voting, that showed her leading Talarico by 12 percentage points, Crockett, who was juggling her day job in Washington during the week, said Wednesday, \u201cI\u2019m used to being outspent, but I will never be outworked.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAs we head into the final stretch of this primary, my message to the voters is to tune out the noise that says what we can\u2019t do and focus on what we must do, which is win this race,\u201d she said. \u201cThe only polls that matter are the ones where Texas voters cast a ballot!\u201d<\/p>\n

The contest drove some 1.2 million Democratic primary voters to the polls over the first nine days of the 11-day early voting period, according to VoteHub<\/a> \u2014 nearly doubling the final early turnout numbers from the last midterm.<\/p>\n

Much of that engagement has been inspired by the two candidates at the top of the ticket who each bring viral social media presences, major fundraising operations and deep devotion from the Democratic base. They are largely aligned on policy<\/a>, but almost diametric opposites in style and theory of the kind of politics the moment demands. Crockett \u2014 pugnacious, partisan and unyielding \u2014 sees a path to turning Texas blue by driving legions of disengaged Democrats to the polls. Talarico \u2014 populist, faith-based and seeking to persuade \u2014 has also embraced an expand-the-electorate strategy, while arguing the nominee must simultaneously win over crossover voters in a state Donald Trump recently won by 14 points.<\/p>\n

Inherent in the electability debate is the reality of a Black woman and a white man squaring off in an increasingly diverse state, as part of a party that has grappled in recent years with the role of race and identity politics in its elections.<\/p>\n

Further entrenched by political commentators online<\/a>, those dynamics have all fostered the kind of ugly intraparty contest in the months leading up to Tuesday\u2019s election that many Democrats had hoped would remain on the other side of the aisle. <\/p>\n

\u201cIf I could just boil it down to just a couple of descriptors, it would be: very online, really divisive and pretty chaotic,\u201d Monique Alcala, the former executive director of the Texas Democratic Party, said in summing up the race thus far.<\/p>\n

The hostility \u2014 stoked by political influencers and millions in outside spending and, as Election Day neared, embraced by<\/a> Crockett<\/a> herself<\/a> \u2014 has left some Democrats worried that the base will be divided and the nominee irreparably wounded going into November, which will already present a steep climb.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhoever wins the Dem primary, we all become 100% Team That Person,\u201d state Rep. Diego Bernal, D-San Antonio, pleaded on<\/a> social media<\/a>. \u201cI believe both will do the right thing. It\u2019s their supporters that will need to follow their lead.\u201d<\/p>\n

If Talarico wins on Tuesday, he\u2019ll need to embark on a concerted effort to win over Crockett\u2019s base, particularly the Black voters who form the core of her support<\/a> and remain elusive for him. The task will be all the more challenging coming off a primary filled with attacks depicting him as anti-Black \u2014 largely based on an allegation that he labeled a former rival as a \u201cmediocre Black man,\u201d which he denies \u2014 and a Republican plant<\/a> based on sometimes misleading<\/a> digs at his record. Crockett has come under fire for comments she previously made about Latino voters<\/a>\u00a0\u2014 a critical part of the general electorate \u2014 and faced concerns about her ability to scale up<\/a> a vigorous campaign in a general election context. <\/p>\n

Crockett also drew scrutiny after her team booted a reporter<\/a> from a recent campaign event who had previously written a profile of the Dallas congresswoman that she had sought to shut down. Crockett said Wednesday there was \u201cno evidence\u201d<\/a> a reporter had been removed. On Friday, The Atlantic published the reporter\u2019s recording<\/a> of her being forced off the property for being a \u201ctop-notch hater.\u201d<\/p>\n

Republicans watched with glee as the Democratic primary nosedived into a pit of negativity.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is a full-on civil war among Texas Democrats,\u201d said Republican National Committee spokesperson Zach Kraft. \u201cThe nonstop fighting and nastiness of this primary has left Democrats divided and dejected. No matter who emerges from this dumpster fire, half the base will despise them.\u201d<\/p>\n

Republicans have directly played in the race, too, working to boost Crockett ahead of Election Day under the assumption that she would be easier to beat in November.<\/p>\n

Gov. Greg Abbott ran ads<\/a> against Crockett to drive GOP turnout \u2014\u00a0a move that Crockett has used to cast herself<\/a> to her supporters as the candidate Republicans fear. A Republican-aligned group called American Sovereignty blasted out text messages attacking her opposition to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, using messaging that could bolster her with Democrats as much as it would hurt her with Republicans. And when she first launched her campaign, the Senate Republican campaign arm bragged of its efforts<\/a> to goad her into the race.<\/p>\n

\u201cRepublicans should be very concerned about Jasmine Crockett\u2019s surge,\u201d White House Deputy Chief of Staff James Blair posted on social media<\/a> Friday. \u201cShe poses a real threat in Texas.\u201d<\/p>\n

Some Democrats see the combative primary as an exercise in iron sharpening iron \u2014 reflecting the strength of their candidates, building calluses on their eventual nominee and generating enormous engagement among voters that has already translated to soaring levels of turnout. Both candidates have also maintained strong approval ratings among Democratic voters in public polling of the race, despite the negativity.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs you get to where Texas is more and more in play for Democrats, you\u2019re going to see more and more contentious primaries,\u201d said Texas Democratic Party Chair Kendall Scudder. \u201cThat\u2019s just a reality of it.\u201d<\/p>\n

The venom in the Democratic primary has been amplified by online content creators and big-money super PACs for both candidates whose donors remain largely anonymous<\/a>. <\/p>\n

By the end of early voting, Talarico had outspent Crockett nearly five-to-one on advertising, including outside spending by groups supporting the candidates, according to media tracking firm AdImpact. Talarico, who began the race with much lower name recognition, spent $15.3 million through his campaign alone, compared to Crockett\u2019s $4.3 million; a pro-Talarico super PAC dropped another $7.7 million, while a super PAC boosting Crockett had spent less than $500,000.<\/p>\n

Talarico, a Presbyterian minister-in-training whose populist pitch for a \u201cpolitics of love<\/a>\u201d is rooted in his Christian faith, has repeatedly emphasized his intention to run a positive campaign and urged his supporters to remain respectful of Crockett.<\/p>\n

But while his campaign cannot legally coordinate with super PACs and Talarico has said he wants to ban such entities, it was a pro-Talarico group \u2014 Lone Star Rising PAC \u2014\u00a0that dropped the first negative ad<\/a> of the primary in early February. The ad told viewers that Crockett was \u201cbeing backed by Republicans,\u201d alluding to GOP meddling<\/a> in the primary and Republicans\u2019 belief<\/a> that she would be easier to beat.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf she wins, we lose,\u201d the ad\u2019s narrator said.<\/p>\n

Since then, Crockett has amped up her attacks on Talarico, at one point calling the ad<\/a> \u201cstraight-up racist\u201d and accusing the group of darkening her skin. The ad features a dark filter<\/a> throughout, including over other people depicted.<\/p>\n

In the weeks leading up to early voting, her campaign launched an attack ad<\/a> on Talarico, depicting him alongside Trump and Abbott with the narrator saying, \u201cThey fight for the rich and powerful. Crockett fights for us.\u201d<\/p>\n

Forward Texas, a pro-Crockett super PAC, also ran an ad that blamed Talarico for \u201cpaving the way for MAGA Republicans\u2019 voter suppression law, making it harder for Hispanic Texans to vote.\u201d The charge was a reference to Talarico being one of the first to return to Austin<\/a> from Texas House Democrats\u2019 2021 walkout over a Republican voting bill. Forward Texas also hit him for accepting donations from a pro-gambling group backed by GOP megadonor Miriam Adelson, who has donated to numerous state lawmakers from both parties in her bid to bring casinos to Texas.<\/p>\n

\u201cDemocrats were united to stop voter suppression, but James Talarico saw a chance to help himself,\u201d the narrator says. \u201cThen Talarico quietly accepted $59,000 from Donald Trump\u2019s largest donor. Jasmine Crockett will never sell us out to Donald Trump.\u201d<\/p>\n

At a campaign rally kicking off early voting last week, Talarico said he was \u201ctrying to show moral leadership and model what I want all Texas Democrats to act like, particularly my supporters, which is running a positive race based on our values, our vision for the future, our ideas, our track record.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI really wanted this race to be about what we\u2019re both offering, but I know that these things can get off track,\u201d he said. \u201cMy only hope now is that we can lower the temperature, we can remember that we\u2019re all on the same team, and that once this primary is over in two weeks, we can come together and focus on the real fight ahead in November.\u201d<\/p>\n

O\u2019Rourke, who had tried to convene a slate of prominent Democrats to run for each statewide office that fell apart when most wanted the Senate slot, said he was certain the losing candidate would unite behind whoever won the nomination.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhoever does not win will get behind the victor and do everything they can to ensure that that person and every other Democrat gets over the line,\u201d he said. \u201cOne of the wonderful things about Jasmine and James is they each have such distinct strengths, and working as a team, they will really be able to complement each other.\u201d<\/p>\n

Talarico entered the race with a splash. In the 12 hours after launching his campaign in September, he raised over $1 million \u2014\u00a0previewing the enormous fundraising operation, largely powered by small-dollar donations, that would only ramp up over the next six months.<\/p>\n

He vastly outraised<\/a> his then-rival, former congressman and 2024 Democratic Senate nominee Colin Allred, and momentum seemed to be on his side \u2014\u00a0until Crockett began signaling in the fall that she was considering a run. She called Talarico asking if he would run for governor instead, The New Yorker reported<\/a>, but he declined the request, noting that state Rep. Gina Hinojosa, whom he\u2019d endorsed, was already campaigning to take on Abbott.<\/p>\n

After weeks of publicly vacillating, Crockett finally made her run official on the last day for candidates to file. Hours before she announced her bid, Allred dropped out and filed to run for his former congressional seat. Incumbent U.S. Sen. John Cornyn called her decision a \u201cgift,\u201d and Republicans cheered her candidacy, convinced that she would make an easier opponent to beat in November.<\/p>\n

Among Democrats, Crockett was the immediate frontrunner. She entered the race with near-universal name recognition among Democratic voters, a history of strong fundraising and deep relationships particularly with the Black base of the party. Her supporters enthusiastically welcomed<\/a> the entry of a candidate they see as one of the party\u2019s best communicators and fundraisers.<\/p>\n

At the primary\u2019s only debate<\/a>, hosted by the Texas AFL-CIO in January, the candidates revealed little daylight on policy, and the tenor was restrained.<\/p>\n

Talarico \u2014\u00a0and a super PAC in his corner \u2014 began spending big on the airwaves in a bid to increase his name ID, dropping several ads, including in Spanish<\/a>, about his populist top-versus-bottom pitch<\/a>, his legislative effort<\/a> to cap out-of-pocket insulin costs<\/a> at $25 a month, and his experience as a public school teacher<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Crockett, meanwhile, didn\u2019t start spending on advertising until weeks before the election, and she held a handful of campaign events in the state as she worked full-time in Congress.<\/p>\n

Then, a political grenade landed in Talarico\u2019s camp at the start of February. A TikTok influencer \u2014 who\u2019d supported Talarico\u2019s bid before Crockett joined the race \u2014\u00a0accused him<\/a> of referring to Allred as a \u201cmediocre Black man.\u201d <\/p>\n

Allred tore into Talarico for the alleged remark and endorsed Crockett in his own selfie-style video, turning the claim into a national headline. Talarico disputed the account, saying he described Allred\u2019s campaigning as mediocre but \u201cwould never attack him on the basis of race.\u201d<\/p>\n

The clash was the culmination of a long-simmering proxy war<\/a> online between political content creators from around the country on their preferred candidates\u2019 behalf. When Crockett entered the race, many online Talarico supporters were quick to decry her firebrand profile as a liability<\/a> in a red state. Crockett boosters, meanwhile, saw much of the scrutiny of her electability as driven by misogyny and racism.<\/p>\n

The social media battle cracked open the racial tensions of the primary and framed the contest as a referendum on identity politics in the Democratic Party.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe racial divisions here in Texas are just on full display for everybody to see,\u201d Alcala, the former state party director, said. \u201cThere\u2019s no objective truth whenever it comes to content creators, there\u2019s just information that\u2019s out there. People either trust or they don\u2019t trust the content creator or the person that\u2019s putting out that information. And so I think whenever there\u2019s a lack of objectivity, you see that type of chaos go crazy.\u201d<\/p>\n

Then, on the first day of early voting, Talarico got the kind of media boost most campaigns would kill for: Talk-show host Stephen Colbert accused CBS<\/a> of pulling his interview with Talarico for fear of running afoul of a new Trump administration rule. The incident, which Talarico spun into a direct attempt by Trump to censor him, generated the latest round of explosive national news in the primary, instantly introducing the Austin Democrat to millions of people and garnering him $2.5 million in fundraising in the 24 hours after.<\/p>\n

As the candidates canvassed the state over the last two weeks of the election, the \u201cpollercoaster\u201d \u2014 as Alcala called it \u2014 was well underway. A set of public polls gave Crockett commanding double-digit leads. Talarico responded with an internal survey showing him ahead by 4 points. A third candidate, Ahmed Hassan, has registered negligible support, but his presence on the ballot makes a May runoff election a remote possibility if he siphons off just enough votes to prevent Crockett or Talarico from reaching 50% on Tuesday.<\/p>\n

\u201cDon\u2019t listen to the haters on the outside, because it\u2019s gonna be a lot of that, and don\u2019t listen to the distractions,\u201d Crockett said on the campaign trail<\/a> Friday. \u201cIt is time for us to focus on us and the future that we deserve. We deserve better. The only reason I decided to run for the U.S. Senate is because I really want change.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Audio recording is automated for accessibility. Humans wrote and edited the story. See our AI policy, and give…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":497305,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[164749,23,1340,1070,69123,227240,3,176032,3079,21,19,22,20,25,24,127235],"class_list":{"0":"post-497304","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-united-states","8":"tag-2026-elections","9":"tag-america","10":"tag-congress","11":"tag-elections","12":"tag-james-talarico","13":"tag-jasmine-felicia-crockett","14":"tag-news","15":"tag-texas-democratic-party","16":"tag-u-s-senate","17":"tag-united-states","18":"tag-united-states-of-america","19":"tag-unitedstates","20":"tag-unitedstatesofamerica","21":"tag-us","22":"tag-usa","23":"tag-well-a-homepage"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/497304","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=497304"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/497304\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/497305"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=497304"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=497304"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=497304"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}