State Rep. James Talarico has won the Democratic Senate nomination in Texas over Rep. Jasmine Crockett, NBC News projects, as the party seeks to put the traditionally Republican state in play this fall.
With 83% of the expected vote in, Talarico had won 53% to Crockett’s 46%. On the Republican side, the heated primary is set to continue for several more weeks, with NBC News projecting that Sen. John Cornyn and state Attorney General Ken Paxton will advance to a runoff.
“We’re about to take back Texas,” Talarico said in a short statement after the race was called.
Crockett conceded to Talarico, saying in a statement Wednesday that she called him to congratulate him on becoming the party's nominee. She urged the party to unite behind Talarico heading into the general election.
"With the primary behind us, Democrats must rally around our nominees and win," Crockett said. "I’m committed to doing my part and will continue working to elect democrats up and down the ballot."
Largely aligned on policy, Talarico and Crockett diverged on style and strategy as Democratic voters searched for a fighter who could hand the party its first statewide win in more than 30 years.
Talarico’s supporters believed he is more likely to win statewide by appealing to voters across the political spectrum, pointing to his victory in a Republican state House seat, his populist message and his frequent discussion of his Christian faith.
Crockett’s supporters, meanwhile, described her as a fearless fighter, and Crockett argued that she can build a ‘multi-racial and multi-generational coalition of new voters to win Texas.
Talarico, a Presbyterian seminarian, has suggested he can appeal to Democrats, Republicans and independents.
“If you hate politics and you’ve never voted before, you have a place in this campaign. If you have voted for Democrats but you’re tired of D.C. Democrats always folding, you have a place in this campaign. And if you voted for Donald Trump but you are fed up with the extremism and the corruption in our government, you have a place in this campaign,” Talarico said at an event last month in Austin.
Talarico also grabbed headlines in recent days after his interview with Stephen Colbert aired on YouTube instead of CBS in light of what Colbert characterized as the network’s fear of FCC blowback, giving Talarico plenty of attention and fueling his fundraising on the first day of early voting.
Voter confusion in Dallas County, the second-most-populous county in the state that’s represented by Crockett in Congress, added a layer of uncertainty to the race. New rules spearheaded by Republicans caused some voters to go to the wrong polling places. A Dallas County judge ordered polling places to stay open two hours later as a result, but that was temporarily blocked by the Texas Supreme Court, leaving votes cast after 7 p.m. local time in limbo. A similar situation played out at two polling locations in Williamson County, Talarico’s home turf.
“Every vote must be counted. Every voice must be heard,” Talarico told supporters. “The voter suppression in my home county and Congresswoman Crockett’s home county underscores the gravity of this moment.”
Talarico must wait until May 26 to learn who his opponent will be. Paxton and Cornyn will now face off head-to-head in a race that has already drawn nearly $100 million in advertising, largely from Cornyn and his allies. GOP Rep. Wesley Hunt’s entrance into the race meant none of the three major candidates was able to win a majority of the primary vote, pushing the race to a runoff.
With 84% of the expected vote in, Cornyn was leading with 42%, followed by Paxton at 41% and Hunt at 13%.
Cornyn has argued that if Paxton is the nominee, he could put the Senate seat at risk, given his personal and professional controversies. Paxton was impeached over allegations of bribery and corruption in 2023; the state Senate acquitted him. And Paxton’s wife announced last year that she was divorcing him “on biblical grounds.”
Paxton has argued that he can energize President Donald Trump’s core base of supporters who have been less likely to turn out for the GOP in midterm elections.
Paxton and his supporters are also quick to compare him to Trump.
