As expected by this point.
Rep. Jasmine Crockett
U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett, D-Dallas, on Monday filed to run for U.S. Senate, scrambling the Democratic field after teasing her potential entry for months.
Crockett, a second-term congresswoman, has skyrocketed to fame through viral spats with Republicans and as a frequent presence in the Democratic media ecosystem. The 44-year-old’s fiery clashes with Republicans have earned her legions of social media followers and donors, turning her into one of the party’s most prolific fundraisers even as she has been passed up for multiple House leadership roles.
Crockett is joining a field that already includes Austin state Rep. James Talarico, also known as a strong communicator and for his progressive brand of Christianity. But her path was made easier by fellow Dallasite Colin Allred’s decision to exit the Senate race, which he announced early Monday morning. Both Allred, the 2024 Democratic nominee, and Talarico had been running for months, with Allred launching his campaign in July, followed by Talarico in September. The primary is March 3.
But as Crockett began to move closer to a bid, she called both Allred and Talarico to discuss her internal polling of the race, and the prospect of forming a slate. That did not pan out; a similar effort to divide up the marquee statewide offices over the summer also failed, with too many candidates drawn to the Senate race over other contests such as governor and attorney general.
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In a November interview with Politico, Crockett said she would only run for Senate if the data from her internal campaign polling showed that she could win a general election.
More recently, she has said her internal polling has shown she can win a general election. Crockett also publicly discussed her desire to form a winning slate of Democratic candidates for statewide offices. While the Senate candidates ultimately did not work out a statewide slate, Allred’s exit leaves only two high-profile candidates vying for the nomination, lowering the chances of a May runoff.
So far, no public poll has shown Crockett winning a general election against Sen. John Cornyn, Attorney General Ken Paxton or Rep. Wesley Hunt of Houston, each of whom are running for the GOP nomination.
See here for some background. My thoughts remain the same. There hasn’t been that much public polling on the Senate race yet, and only some of that even included Crockett. The most favorable polling I’ve seen recently didn’t have any of the candidates at the time leading either Cornyn or Paxton – it remains my policy to not take Wesley Hunt seriously – so she’s not under any exceptional handicap that I know of. All I know is that I was happy with Talarico in the race, and I will need to be convinced otherwise. Welcome to the race, Rep. Crockett.
I would be happy with either one as my Senator, but to be completely honest I think Talerico has a better chance at the general election. I say this because I know my state. There are plenty of country club GOP types who hate Paxton, but not enough to vote for Crockett. It is what it sadly is.
Nevertheless my primary vote is not set in stone, and Rep Crockett can make her case for it.