Jasmine Crockett Says She Has "No Idea" If She'll Help Talarico's Texas Senate Run

U.S. Representative Jasmine Crockett, a Democrat from Texas, says she does not know if she will help fellow Democrat James Talarico win a seat in the U.S. Senate. When a reporter asked if she would actively support his campaign, Crockett replied, 'I have no idea.' Her comments came as Texas Democrats were getting ready for their state party convention. The remarks raised questions about whether Democrats in Texas are fully united heading into the November election.

Crockett and Talarico competed against each other in a Democratic primary election in March. Talarico, a Texas state representative, won that race and became the party's nominee. He will now face Republican Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton in the November general election. Polls show the race between Talarico and Paxton is very close.

Crockett told The Dallas Morning News that she does not plan to attend the Texas Democratic Party's state convention. She said she is focused on helping Democrats win other races across the country. She explained, 'I am more focused on down-ballot races in general.' Down-ballot races are elections for offices listed lower on the ballot, such as state and local positions.

Part of what drew attention was a comment Crockett made about being invited to speak at the convention. She said she received what she called an 'afterthought invite,' meaning she felt the invitation came too late and was not serious. Crockett also said she had a missed call from Talarico that she had not returned or even listened to. 'It seemed like an afterthought invite,' she said. 'I can't say for sure, because I haven't listened to it.'

Texas Democratic Party officials pushed back on Crockett's claim. Party Chair Kendall Scudder said that Crockett had actually been invited since March and that the invitation was still open. 'She has certainly been invited to the convention and continues to have a standing invite,' Scudder said. Talarico's team also said he had called Crockett and left a message asking if she would be the keynote speaker at the convention.

Crockett also raised concerns about how excited Black voters are about the Democratic ticket. She pointed out that there is no Black candidate running in a major statewide race this year. She suggested that could make some voters less enthusiastic about turning out to vote. 'I've not heard a bunch of kumbaya,' she said, meaning she does not think Democrats have come together in a united way yet.

A political science professor from Syracuse University named Grant Davis Reeher told Newsweek that Crockett's comments could hurt the Democratic Party. He said her words were 'damning in their absence of praise or support' for Talarico. He also called her complaint about the convention invitation 'petty and self-serving.' Reeher warned that if Democrats cannot work out these disagreements, it could cause bigger problems for the party in future elections.

Both Crockett and Talarico have said publicly that beating Republicans in November is important. However, whether Crockett will actually get involved in Talarico's campaign is still uncertain. Her choice could matter a great deal, since Democratic unity could decide whether Talarico or Paxton wins in November.

Two recent polls show the race is extremely tight. One poll from Quantus Insights shows Paxton leading Talarico 45 percent to 43 percent, with 7 percent of voters still undecided. A second poll from Texas A&M's Bush School shows the two candidates tied at 46 percent each. Both polls were conducted in early June among about 800 likely Texas voters and have a margin of error of about 3.5 to 4 percent.