Rep. Jasmine Crockett responded to criticism over the absence of James Talarico from her PAC's endorsement list by reaffirming her post-primary support for him and emphasizing her focus on down-ballot races in Texas. Crockett highlighted her PAC's endorsements of state legislative and judicial candidates and reiterated her strategy to boost turnout through multiple races rather than centering on the Senate contest.
- Crockett's FIRE PAC released endorsements for 14 Texas candidates, excluding Senate nominee James Talarico.
- She congratulated Talarico after the March primary and called for Democratic unity at that time.
- Crockett has focused her efforts on down-ballot races, citing the long Harris County ballot with over 100 contests.
- Talarico has publicly defended Crockett and acknowledged her work supporting down-ballot Democrats.
- Recent polls show a competitive race between Talarico and Republican Ken Paxton for U.S. Senate in Texas.
Crockett Says She Already Backed James Talarico After The Democratic Primary And Accuses Critics Of Ignoring Her Focus On Texas Down-Ballot Races
Rep. Jasmine Crockett pushed back Tuesday against renewed criticism over her support for Democratic U.S. Senate nominee James Talarico after her political action committee released a new round of Texas endorsements without his name on the list.
Crockett’s FIRE PAC announced 14 new endorsements Monday, primarily supporting candidates in state legislative races and county judgeships. Talarico, who defeated Crockett in the March Democratic primary and is now running against Republican Ken Paxton, was not among them.
The omission prompted another round of questions about Crockett’s involvement in the Senate race. Crockett responded Tuesday by pointing back to what she said immediately after losing the primary.
Y’all are corny! I keep receipts. I’ll be happy when people either give a damn about FACTS or news media goes back to the news instead of deciding to ride the tabloid lane. NOW FOR THE 1000th time maybe write an article about KEN F*in PAXTON. Y’all all sound like corny groupie ass OPS! Now do you know 5 of the other 103 races on the Harris County ballot?! DID Y’all even know they have the longest ballot in the COUNTRY?! Mind the business that pays you. For the lazy journalists that you see, point them here 👇🏾
— Jasmine Crockett (@JasmineForUS) September 29, 2026
“Y’all are corny! I keep receipts,” Crockett wrote on X. “I’ll be happy when people either give a damn about FACTS or news media goes back to the news instead of deciding to ride the tabloid lane.”
She added, “NOW FOR THE 1000th time maybe write an article about KEN F*in PAXTON.”
Crockett Points Back To Her Post-Primary Support
Crockett included a screenshot of her March 4 statement congratulating Talarico on winning the Democratic nomination.
“This morning I called James and congratulated him on becoming the Senate nominee,” Crockett wrote at the time. “Texas is primed to turn blue and we must remain united because this is bigger than any one person.”
In Tuesday’s response, Crockett argued that attention surrounding Talarico was overshadowing the work she is doing elsewhere on the Texas ballot.
“Now do you know 5 of the other 103 races on the Harris County ballot?!” she wrote. “DID Y’all even know they have the longest ballot in the COUNTRY?! Mind the business that pays you.”
FIRE PAC’s latest endorsements reflect that emphasis. The PAC has concentrated much of its Texas activity on state legislative and judicial contests, although it has also supported some federal and gubernatorial candidates outside Texas.
Crockett has similarly said she intends to spend the fall campaigning for down-ballot Democrats rather than centering her efforts on the Senate contest. Texas Democratic Party Chair Kendall Scudder has defended her approach, pointing to the importance of drawing attention to candidates who receive far less statewide and national coverage.
Months Of Questions Over Crockett And Talarico
What followed that March statement, however, has kept their political relationship under scrutiny.
In July, Crockett described the Democratic primary as a “racist race” and said she did not believe the best way she could help Talarico was by standing beside him at campaign events. Instead, she pointed to candidates she had endorsed in down-ballot races, including five Black men who advanced from their runoffs.
“The best thing that I can do for James Talarico isn’t me standing on a stage with him,” Crockett said at the time. She argued that helping those candidates could bring more Black Texans to the polls in November.
Crockett also objected to expectations that she become a surrogate for the candidate who defeated her.
“People keep trying to say, well, Jasmine has to go and hold his hand,” she said in July. “Nah, I don’t.”
The friction dated back even further. The primary itself featured disputes over race, gender and Democratic electability, including Crockett’s concerns about how Black candidates were being treated during the contest.
The tension did not disappear after Talarico became the nominee.
When NBC News asked Crockett in August whether she believed Talarico could win statewide, she answered, “I don’t know,” explaining that she wanted to see whether national Democratic and Republican organizations began investing significant money in Texas before deciding how competitive the race truly was.
Talarico, meanwhile, has publicly defended Crockett.
During a Houston event this summer, he told supporters criticizing his former opponent to “keep Congresswoman Crockett’s name out of your mouth,” saying she had been “incredibly helpful” and had “done more than she needed to do.”
He later reiterated that position, saying Crockett’s work for down-ballot candidates was important to Democrats’ broader effort in Texas and that winning the Senate race was ultimately his responsibility. He also left an open invitation for Crockett to campaign with him.
Crockett Has Repeatedly Said Her Focus Is Down-Ballot
By late August, Crockett was making the distinction explicit.
Asked on CNN whether she would campaign with Talarico, she responded, “I will be campaigning down ballot.”
Crockett argued that Texas Democrats have tried building turnout around a single high-profile statewide candidate before, pointing to Beto O’Rourke’s unsuccessful 2018 Senate campaign. Her strategy, she said, is to give Texans multiple reasons to vote by elevating congressional, legislative and local candidates who ordinarily receive far less attention.
That strategy is now being carried out through FIRE PAC, the leadership PAC Crockett established after the Senate primary.
Also Read: James Talarico’s Multimillion-Dollar Black Media Ad Push Launches Across Texas
So when the latest endorsement list appeared without Talarico, critics interpreted the omission against months of comments in which Crockett has declined to make his Senate campaign the center of her political work.
Crockett’s Tuesday response was essentially that nothing had changed.
“Now do you know 5 of the other 103 races on the Harris County ballot?!” she wrote. “DID Y’all even know they have the longest ballot in the COUNTRY?! Mind the business that pays you.”
Talarico And Paxton Head Toward November
The dispute comes as Talarico and Paxton compete in one of Texas’ most closely watched statewide races.
Recent polling has shown a competitive contest, though individual results vary. An NPR/Marist survey conducted Sept. 17-20 found Talarico at 50% and Paxton at 44% among registered voters, while a Texas Southern University/YouGov survey conducted Sept. 15-19 found Talarico at 47% and Paxton at 46% among likely voters.
Talarico has also made outreach to Black Texans a major part of his general-election campaign, including a $25 million initiative aimed at Black voters and appearances at Black churches and businesses.
For Crockett, however, Tuesday’s message was that her position has already been stated. She congratulated Talarico after the primary, called for Democratic unity and is now putting her political operation behind other Democrats on the ballot.
Her response also made clear that she has little patience for continuing to answer the question.
