State Rep James Talarico wins Texas Democratic Senate primary election race

AUSTIN, Texas – James Talarico, the nationally-profile Democratic state lawmaker from Texas, won the Democratic Senate primary in Texas, defeating Rep. Jasmine Crockett, a nationally known politician, progressive firebrand and critic and obstructionist of President Donald Trump, according to the Associated Press.

Talarico, 36, will now try to become the first Democrat to win a Senate election in Texas in nearly four decades as he faces the winner of the Republican primary runoff between longtime incumbent Sen. John Cornyn and Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton.

This year’s Senate showdown in Texas is one of the few events in midterm elections across the country that could determine whether Republicans can gain a majority in the chamber. The GOP currently controls chamber 53-47.

In the final weeks leading up to Tuesday’s Democratic primary, race became a major factor in the showdown between Talarico, a former middle school teacher and Presbyterian seminarian who is considered a rising star among Democrats, and Crockett, a civil rights attorney first elected to Congress in 2022.

Talarico, who is white, was accused by an influencer a month ago of calling former Rep. Colin Allred, a former rival for the 2026 Senate nomination, a “mediocre Black man.”

Allred, the 2024 Democratic Senate candidate, was running for her second straight race after losing to Republican Sen. Ted Cruz by eight points two years ago.

Crockett ended his Senate campaign late last year just before announcing his candidacy. Allred, a former college football star who played professionally in the NFL and later became a civil rights attorney, is now running for his former House seat.

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Influencer Morgan Thompson, who goes by the username @morga_tt on TikTok, social media post She alleged that Talarico told her in a private conversation that she “signed up to run against a mediocre Black man, not an amazing, intelligent Black woman.”

Former Rep. Colin Allred, left, and state Rep. James Talarico of Texas (MIGUEL J. RODRIGUEZ CARRILLO/AFP; Bob Daemmrich/The Texas Tribune/Bloomberg)

push back against Thompson’s characterization In a statement following their remarks, Talarico said: “In praising Congressman Crockett, I called Congressman Allred’s campaign method mediocre – but her life and service are not. I would never attack her on the basis of race.”

Allred responded social media video She said on Monday: “James, if you want to compliment Black women, do it. Do it. Don’t do it while also taking out a Black man.”

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Crockett, 44, who is black, said in a statement that Allred was “drawing a line in the sand.”

Crockett, supported by Allred, said: “He made it clear that he did not view the assault allegations against him as just another day in the neighborhood, and more importantly, that his post was not about him.” he said. “It was a moment when he decided to stand up for all the people who were being targeted and talked about disparagingly as our country continued to be divided.”

Rep. Jasmine Crockett, D-Texas, speaks after announcing she will run in the Democratic primary for U.S. Senate, Monday, Dec. 8, 2025, in Dallas. (LM Otero/AP Photo)

A few weeks later, Crockett claimed that a Talarico-aligned super PAC had darkened her skin tone in an ad, saying it was “blatantly racist.”

She also argued that statewide talk late last month that she was unelectable was a “dog whistle” that “destroyed a Black woman” and that she was the “most qualified” candidate.

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Talarico, who was first elected to the Texas House in 2018 by flipping the red district in northeast Austin and surrounding suburbs, has highlighted his ability to win over Republican voters. And he questioned whether Crockett could run a competitive general election campaign.

While Talarico has dramatically outperformed and spent more than Crockett in the last two months, he has portrayed himself as the underdog in the primary fight against the better-known congressman.

Talarico, who speaks openly about his faith and how it shapes his progressive policy agenda, began garnering national attention last year with a series of social media appearances that went viral. Her TikTok videos, which have been viewed millions of times, and her appearance on Joe Rogan’s top-rated podcast last July, have also boosted her profile.

U.S. Senate candidate Texas state Rep. James Talarico greets supporters after a campaign rally on March 1, 2026 in San Antonio, Texas. (Paul Steinhauser/Fox News)

Rogan suggested during the interview that Talarico should run for president.

A month later, Talarico was a regular on cable news networks, conducting dozens of national media interviews; He and dozens of his fellow Democrats in the Texas House fled the state for weeks to delay the eventual Trump-led redistricting push in Texas to create up to five more right-leaning seats in Congress.

Talarico launched his Senate campaign a month later, in September.

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Last month, Talarcio gained further national attention when his appearance on “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” was removed from broadcast TV and instead posted on YouTube. Colbert accused his network CBS of blocking the interview, citing Federal Communications Commission (FCC) guidelines.

The controversy appeared to give Talarico a boost, with his campaign saying they raised $2.5 million in donations in the 24 hours after his “censored” interview.

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