Crockett Says She Will Focus on Black Voters and Down-Ballot Candidates Rather Than Campaigning With James Talarico
Rep. Jasmine Crockett is not mincing words about her loss in Texas’ Democratic U.S. Senate primary, calling the contest a “racist race” and rejecting expectations that she should now hit the campaign trail for the man who defeated her.
During a conversation with hosts of the “Native Land” podcast at the Essence Festival in New Orleans, the Texas Democrat spoke bluntly about her failed Senate bid and the pressure she says has followed her since state Rep. James Talarico won the Democratic nomination in March.
“It was racist. It was a racist race,” Crockett said. “But we live in America as y’all are celebrating 250. We know what this country is.”
Crockett said her Senate run was about changing who holds power in Texas and bringing her legal background to a chamber where she could scrutinize nominees and policies affecting Black communities.
“The challenge was actually flipping the script in the state that has more African Americans than any other state, and deciding that I would show up as one of a hundred in the Senate so that I could make a difference,” she said.
“Just because somebody is a nominee as a Democrat, it does not necessarily mean that they have Black people’s issues at the forefront.”
The remarks surfaced this week as Talarico moves deeper into a high-profile general election battle against Republican Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton. Talarico defeated Crockett in the March 3 Democratic primary, while Paxton later defeated incumbent U.S. Sen. John Cornyn in the May 26 Republican runoff.
Crockett Says Her Focus Is on Black Voters and Down-Ballot Candidates
Crockett made clear that she does not intend to simply become another campaign surrogate for Talarico. Instead, she said her political energy will go toward candidates with less name recognition and toward mobilizing Black voters.
“The best thing that I can do is take down-ballot candidates who no one’s ever heard of and do my best to uplift them,” she said.
Crockett said that strategy extends beyond Texas, arguing that her priority is helping put candidates in office who can reduce harm to Black communities nationwide.
“I am going to do everything that I can to make sure that I have the right people in position to make sure that we can minimize the harm specifically to Black people, not just in one state, but throughout the country,” she said. “So for me, I am gonna be working everywhere.”
The congresswoman also pushed back against any suggestion that she owes Talarico direct campaign support simply because he became the Democratic nominee.
“Did you hear me?” Crockett said. “Literally, our Democratic nominee … got 500,000 votes. I got over double that, and I still lost.”
Crockett argued that helping Talarico does not necessarily require her to appear beside him onstage. She pointed instead to her support for five Black male candidates in Texas runoff races who all advanced to November.
“The best thing that I can do for James Talarico isn’t me standing on a stage with him,” Crockett said. “It is the fact that I endorsed five candidates in the runoff who all happen to be Black men in the state of Texas, and every single one of them won, and they’re going on to November, meaning that they will pull out more Black people to vote.”
“People keep trying to say, well, Jasmine has to go and hold his hand,” she added. “Nah, I don’t. And don’t worry about my math and how it works in my mind.”
Her comments come amid an ongoing debate over what Black voters — and particularly Black women in politics — are expected to provide the Democratic Party after losing high-profile contests. The “Native Land” podcast has also recently devoted an episode to criticism aimed at Crockett over her decision not to support Talarico more directly.
Also Read: Crockett’s “Safest White Boy” Warning as Democrats Still Play It Safe
‘I Am Nobody’s Footstool’
Crockett argued that the pressure surrounding her response to the primary loss reflects a double standard, particularly because she is a nationally prominent Black woman.
“We have never seen anybody, quote unquote, be pressured to jump into a Senate race to help out their opponent that beat them,” she said. “And it just so happens that it ended up being a high-profile Black woman.”
Crockett then made her priorities unmistakable.
“I am nobody’s footstool,” she said, “but I believe in doing everything that I can … specifically for Black people.”
The remarks put a sharp edge on lingering tensions from a Democratic primary that drew national attention and was widely viewed through the lens of race, gender, electability and the future direction of the party. Reporting immediately after the March primary likewise noted that race and gender had become central dynamics in the Crockett-Talarico contest.
Talarico, an Austin-area state representative, is now facing Paxton in a general election that has become increasingly competitive and expensive. Recent reporting has shown Talarico spending heavily on television advertising while national Republicans weigh how much support will be needed to defend the Texas seat.
Crockett, however, appears determined to define her own role in November — and she is making clear that party unity will not come at the expense of what she sees as her responsibility to Black voters.
