Rep. Jasmine Crockett, D-Texas, launched her run for Senate on Monday, shaking up the Democratic primary just before the state's filing deadline.
Crockett joins the race to take on GOP Sen. John Cornyn, who is facing multiple primary challengers himself. The two-term congresswoman’s decision also comes as her Dallas-based House seat was redrawn in a GOP-led redistricting effort.
"There are a lot of people that said, 'You gotta stay in the House. We need our voice. We need you there,'" Crockett told her supporters as she launched her campaign Monday night. "And I understand. But what we need is a bigger voice."
Crockett, with a slogan of "Texas Tough," pitched herself as the Democrat best-positioned to drive out turnout and appeal to disillusioned voters, saying she can build "a strong multi-racial, multi-generational coalition," and pledged to focus on addressing the cost of living and holding President Donald Trump accountable.
Democrats have not won a statewide race in Texas in more than 30 years, but they have been eyeing next year’s Senate race as a potential pickup opportunity, with Cornyn facing primary challenges from state Attorney General Ken Paxton and GOP Rep. Wesley Hunt. Democrats need to net four seats to take back the Senate next year.
If no candidate wins more than 50% of the vote in either of the March 3 primaries, the top two vote-getters advance to a primary runoff on May 26.
Crockett has been openly weighing a Senate run in recent months following the state’s mid-decade redistricting, which significantly altered the congressional lines in her North Texas home base. She likely enters the race with relatively high name recognition, given her national profile as a vocal critic of Trump’s administration and Republicans.
But some of Crockett's comments could be fodder for Republicans to use against her in a general election, and Republicans have already been goading her to run, seeing her as a manageable opponent.
“Run Jasmine, run!” Cornyn posted on X back in July. His campaign also posted a video on social media of Crockett over the weekend with a narrator saying, “From open borders to socialist economics to unhinged attacks on anyone who disagrees, Jasmine Crockett isn’t representing Texas. She’s representing the far-left fringe.”
The video highlighted some of Crockett’s controversial comments, including saying that “it is not a criminal violation to enter the country illegally”; labeling GOP Gov. Greg Abbott, who uses a wheelchair, as “Gov. Hot Wheels”; and criticizing Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., as a “bleach blonde bad built butch body.”
Cornyn also responded to the news that Crockett was jumping into the race, saying in a statement that she was "radical, theatrical and ineffective."
"As the GOP nominee for U.S. Senate, our campaign will make sure every Texas voter knows how absurd her candidacy is, and in the process provide up-ballot support to down-ballot Republicans, including the five new congressional seats that President Trump has made a priority,” Cornyn said, referring to the redrawn House seats.
Cornyn told reporters in the Capitol on Monday that he does not have a preference for a Democratic opponent, saying of Crockett and Talarico, "I think both of them are flawed candidates, and so I'd be happy to run against either one of them."
Paxton also released a statement dubbing the congresswoman, "Crazy Jasmine Crockett," and predicting she would lose a general election.
"The announcement is likely extremely upsetting for John Cornyn, who counts Jasmine Crockett as one of his best friends," Paxton said.
"Cornyn even went so far as to call Jasmine Crockett his 'dance partner,'" Paxton added, referring to Cornyn's comments last year to the Texas Tribune about working with Crockett on legislation.
Crockett referred to those comments in her launch speech, saying she is "the strongest position to defeat whoever emerges after they finally get out of they stuff, even if that's my buddy and dancing partner, John Cornyn."
Crockett took direct aim at Cornyn, casting him as a "cowering" politician.
