Jasmine Crockett endured a humbling loss in the Texas US Senate

Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett endured a humbling loss in the Texas US Senate Democratic primary to state House Representative James Talarico, a fresh-faced candidate who staked his candidacy on plainspoken social media virality. The race was called by the Associated Press at 2:37 a.m. ET Wednesday. Talarico, dubbed the ‘baby-faced assassin’ for tussling with Republicans on the Texas state House floor, was able to out-campaign the ‘bad girl of C-SPAN,’ known for her own high-profile skirmishes with MAGA-aligned lawmakers. In remarks to supporters in Austin at 1 a.m. Wednesday ET, Talarico didn’t claim victory, but came close. ‘Tonight the people of our state gave our country a little bit of hope and a little bit of hope. And a little bit of hope is a dangerous thing,’ Talarico told the crowd.

The state lawmaker’s victory appears to boost Democratic chances in a state in which they haven’t won a Senate contest in 38 years. On the other side of the aisle, incumbent Senator John Cornyn and Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton are headed toward a messy runoff race to determine the GOP nominee after Tuesday’s results. Republicans fear that Talarico and his ‘progressive Christian’ auro could prove a more dangerous general election opponent than Crockett, who has made a name for herself by hurling incendiary attacks on Republicans. A change in voting precincts at the hands of Republicans in Dallas, led to widespread confusion, with polling stations in Dallas County first allowed to remain open for two additional hours Tuesday night to account for the problems. The Texas Supreme Court then shut the extension down, saying that votes ‘cast by voters who were not in line to vote at 7 p.m. should be separated.’

A little before 10:30 p.m. ET, Crockett came onstage at her election night event in Dallas and told supporters that ‘we’re not going to have election results tonight, in my opinion’ She stated that ‘people have been disenfranchised.’ ‘Unfortunately this is what Republicans like to do and they specifically targeted Dallas County and I think we all know why,’ she added. The congresswoman also told her supporters she would not return to the stage again. Talarico echoed her concerns when he came out onstage hours later – as it became clearer that he would win, as the outstanding votes in Dallas wouldn’t be enough to give Crockett the upper hand. ‘Every vote must be counted, every voice must be heard,’ Talarico said. ‘The voter suppression in my home county and in Congresswoman Crockett’s home county underscores the gravity of this moment.’ ‘This movement is about whether the people will hold the power in this state and in this country,’ he added.

Crockett, 44, was a late entry to the primary race, filing paperwork in December, just before the state’s deadline. She entered the contest race after the boundaries of her House district were changed to more heavily favor a GOP candidate. It was part of the Texas Republicans’ broader scheme to redistrict the state to target five Democratic seats, so the Republicans have a better chance of retaining their majority in the House of Representatives. Crockett enjoyed a much higher national profile than Talarico, becoming one of the Democrats whom President Donald Trump takes constant swings at. She created a viral moment when she tussled with now former Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene, calling the Georgia Republican a ‘bleach blonde, bad built, butch body’ at a Congressional hearing in May 2024. The congresswoman also earned some high-profile endorsements, including that of former Vice President Kamala Harris, who recorded a robocall on Crockett’s behalf last week, CNN reported. Rapper Cardi B endorsed her in an Instagram post last week as well.

The polls conducted in January and early February showed her with a significant advantage, but as Election Day neared, Talarico had taken a lead. The final Emerson College Polling/Nexstar Media survey showed Talarico five points ahead – 52 percent to 47 percent – showing strength among white, Latino, male and younger voters. Women only favored Crockett barely – 51 percent to Talarico’s 48 percent – inside the poll’s plus or minus 3.3 percent margin of error. Crockett, a black woman, did receive an overwhelming share of the black vote. At the same time, a poll from the University of Texas at Tyler, also released Monday, showed Crockett with a double-digit lead. An aide to Talarico predicted to the Daily Mail that his candidate would ultimately win the race by five points. Talarico, 36, announced his Senate bid in September, giving him a three-month head start.

However, when Crockett entered the race, Talarico acknowledged: ‘We had an asteroid hit our campaign,’ he told the New Yorker. Still, he was able to amass 22,000 volunteers and appear at 500 events, at the cost of $20 million, the aide said. Talarico was also outspending Crockett on TV and online ads by a 17-to-1 margin, the New Yorker said. His campaign made social media the No. 1 priority, and he trailed only former President Barack Obama and Harris in engagement according to one analysis, the magazine also reported. The Texas state House member was able to differentiate himself from the party of President Joe Biden by criticizing the former President on the border, touting the benefits of oil and gas production in the state, and being pro-law-and-order, the aide said. Trump has used all three issues to his advantage in his White House races against Democrats. While Talarico bashed billionaires, like the more progressive wing of the Democratic Party, he also pushed back against cancel culture, a big-tent approach that could attract both liberals and moderates, the aide also explained. Talarico is on leave from seminary school and hasn’t been shy about his Christian faith. He had some viral moments too – and one more recently than Crockett.

CBS’ cancellation of his sit-down with the Late Show host Stephen Colbert, over Colbert’s objections, shone the national spotlight on the Texas House member last month. He also went on Joe Rogan’s podcast in July, leaving the popular manosphere host impressed. ‘You need to run for President,’ Rogan told Talarico mid-interview. Ahead of Election Day, polling showed that Talarico was the stronger general election candidate than Crockett, as Republicans contend with their own contentious Senate primary. While Democratic Representative Beto O’Rourke came less than three points from unseating Republican Senator Ted Cruz in 2018, this race is being viewed as the Democrats’ best shot at turning a long-held GOP seat red. But it still could be a pipe dream, as Texas hasn’t elected a Democratic senator since 1988.