Talarico Triumphs Over Crockett In Texas

State Rep. James Talarico won a come-from-behind victory over Rep. Jasmine Crockett in Texas’ Democratic primary for U.S. Senate, according to The Associated Press, a victory operatives in both parties believe could lead to a competitive general election in the state this November.

Talarico’s victory in first marquee Democratic primary of the cycle will provide a sense of relief for party leaders, who were both eager to put forth a candidate with a puncher’s chance in the state and fearful a Crockett victory could be the first sign of Democrats entering a Tea Party-esque era where voters prioritized partisan bomb-throwing over electability.

Crockett entered the primary on the last day possible, touting sky-high name recognition due to her status as a ubiquitous brawler on cable news and in the halls of Congress. But her campaign struggled to maintain momentum ― her failure to name a campaign manager baffled many in the party ― and Talarico managed to outspend her by a significant margin on television advertising.

Early returns showed Talarico performing strongly in rural and suburban areas, while also clearly defeating Crockett in Latino-heavy parts of the state. Crockett, meanwhile, was winning by huge margins among Black voters.

Talarico’s strength among Latinos, in particular, could turn out to be a deciding factor in the race. He earned an endorsement from ultra-popular Spanish-language news influencer Carlos Eduardo Espina, and featured him in ads. He also campaigned with Bobby Pulido, a Tejano music star who is running for Congress in the Rio Grande Valley.

While Talarico is seen as a much stronger general election candidate than Crockett, victory in Texas will remain an uphill battle for Democrats. The party has not won a statewide election there in 30 years, and President Donald Trump won the state by 13 percentage points in 2024.