State Representative James Talarico won the Texas Democratic Senate primary race

AUSTIN, TEXAS – James Talarico, a Democratic state representative from Texas with a growing national profile, defeated Rep. Jasmine Crockett, a nationally known politician, progressive bombshell, and critic and foil of President Donald Trump, to win the Democratic Senate primary in Texas, according to the Associated Press.

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

This year’s Senate race in Texas is one of a handful across the country that could determine whether Republicans hold a majority in the chamber in the midterm elections. The GOP currently controls the chamber 53-47.

In the final weeks leading up to Tuesday’s primary, race has been a key factor in the conflict between Talarico, a former middle school teacher and Presbyterian pastor who is considered a rising star among Democrats, and Crockett, a civil rights lawyer who is up for Congress in 2022.

Talarico, who is white, was accused last month by a campaigner to call former Rep. Colin Allred, a former candidate for the 2026 Senate nomination, is “an average black man.”

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Morgan Thompson, an influencer who goes by the username @morga_tt on TikTok, in a social media posts he says Talarico told him in a private conversation that he “signed up to fight a lowly black man, not a scary, smart black woman.”

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

To push back against Thompson’s character of their conversation, Talarico said in a statement, “In my eulogy for Congressman Crockett, I described Congressman Allred’s campaigning style as moderate – but his life and service are not. I would never attack him on the basis of race.”

Allred, responding with a social media video On Monday, she said: “James, if you want to praise Black women, just do it. Just do it. Don’t do it while disparaging a black man.”

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Crockett, 44, and Black, said in a statement that Allred had “drawn a line in the sand.”

“He’s made it clear that he doesn’t consider the allegations of his assault to be just another day in the area, but more importantly, that his position was not personal to him,” said Crockett, who is sponsored by Allred. “It was a time when he decided to stand up for all the people who are targeted and talked about in a derogatory way as our country continues to be divided.

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

A few weeks later, Crockett said a super PAC aligned with Talarico blackened his skin tone in an ad and called it “downright racist.”

She also argued late last month that talk of her not being nominated nationwide is a “dog whistle” that “destroys the black woman,” and that she is “very qualified.”

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Talarico, who was first elected to the Texas House in 2018 by canvassing a red district in and around northeast Austin, highlighted his ability to win over Republican voters. And he doubted that Crockett could run a competitive general election campaign.

When he dramatically raised and outbid Crockett two months ago, Talarico made himself the underdog in the first battle against a better-known congresswoman.

Talarico, who speaks openly about his faith and how it shapes his progressive policy agenda, last year gained national attention with the emergence of a growing number of social media outlets. Also raising her profile are her TikTok videos, which have garnered millions of views, and her appearance last July on Joe Rogan’s highly rated podcast.

Texas State Representative James Talarico, a member of the US Senate, greets supporters after a campaign rally in San Antonio, Texas, on March 1, 2026. (Paul Steinhauser/Fox News)

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

A month later, Talarico was regular on social media, conducting a series of interviews with national media, as he and a number of his fellow Democrats in the Texas House fled the country for weeks, to delay the progress led by Trump re-led in Texas to create five right-wing congressional seats.

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

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Last month, Talarcio drew national attention when his appearance on “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” went off the air and instead appeared on YouTube. Colbert accused his network, CBS, of blocking the interview citing guidelines from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC).

The controversy appeared to boost Talarico, with his campaign claiming to have raised $2.5 million in fundraising in the 24 hours “following his interview”.

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