Rep. Jasmine Crockett Announces Texas Senate Run

Texas Rep. Jasmine Crockett has officially launched a campaign for U.S. Senate, immediately shaking up a closely watched Democratic primary in one of the nation’s most difficult states for Democrats to flip.

The two-term congresswoman from Dallas announced her bid Monday (December 8) on social media, captioning a campaign video "Texas, let’s win this thing. #JasmineForUS #TexasTough." Her entry comes hours after former Rep. Colin Allred, who lost to Sen. Ted Cruz in 2024, dropped out of the race. Allred’s exit clears the path for a likely head-to-head primary between Crockett and state Rep. James Talarico, a rising figure in Texas Democratic politics.

Crockett had publicly weighed the decision for weeks, saying she would only run if polling showed a realistic path to victory. Her campaign is expected to lean on her national profile and a grassroots fundraising network that helped her bring in more than $6.5 million this year from mostly small-dollar donors.

Democrats are banking on renewed voter energy and backlash to President Donald Trump's polices to make statewide races competitive. Texas has not elected a Democrat statewide since 1994, but the party believes a competitive Senate map and growing turnout among young and minority voters could create an opening.

A former public defender and civil rights attorney, Crockett has become known for her sharp exchanges with Republican lawmakers on Capitol Hill. GOP strategists argue her outspoken style could hurt Democrats with moderate Texans in a general election. Sen. John Cornyn has even suggested her nomination would make the race easier for Republicans — a sign of how quickly her candidacy has disrupted both parties’ calculations.

If neither Democrat earns a majority in the March 2026 primary, the contest will move to a runoff, setting the stage for a prolonged fight that could shape enthusiasm, turnout, and national investment in the race. Crockett now steps into what could be one of Democrats’ highest-profile races of the cycle — and one of their toughest.

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