Jasmine Crockett defends support for James Talarico in Texas Senate race

Representative Jasmine Crockett defended her support for fellow Texas Democrat James Talarico on October 19, 2026, pushing back against criticism over his absence from her PAC endorsement list. Talarico, who defeated Crockett in the Democratic primary, leads Republican Attorney General Ken Paxton in recent polls for the U.S. Senate. Both candidates held rallies in battleground Tarrant County as early voting began, while Democratic voters mobilize across the state.

Crockett's PAC and support for Talarico

• ▪Representative Jasmine Crockett launched the FIRE political action committee in May 2026 to support local candidates, including Harris County judge contenders Letitia Plummer and Alisa Simmons.
• ▪Representative Jasmine Crockett stated that her efforts to boost Democratic turnout in local down-ballot races will ultimately benefit James Talarico at the top of the ticket.
• ▪Representative Jasmine Crockett defended her support for fellow Texas Democrat James Talarico in his U.S. Senate bid during an October 19, 2026 campaign stop in Houston.
• ▪Representative Jasmine Crockett's FIRE political action committee omitted U.S. Senate candidate James Talarico from its list of endorsements, which included over 50 Texas candidates.

Democratic primary aftermath

• ▪James Talarico defeated Representative Jasmine Crockett in the March 2026 Texas Democratic Senate primary election before advancing to the general election.
• ▪Representative Jasmine Crockett reposted her primary concession to James Talarico on social platform X following criticism over his omission from her political action committee endorsement list.

Talarico and Paxton Senate race dynamics

• ▪No Democratic candidate has won a statewide election in Texas since 1994.
• ▪Three polls released during the week of October 12, 2026 showed Democrat James Talarico narrowly leading Republican Ken Paxton in the Texas U.S. Senate race.
• ▪Democrat James Talarico faced Republican Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton in the November 3, 2026 general election for the U.S. Senate.

Campaigning in Tarrant County battleground

• ▪Democrat James Talarico and Republican Ken Paxton held simultaneous campaign rallies in Fort Worth, Texas on October 19, 2026, marking the start of early voting.
• ▪Tarrant County serves as a pivotal battleground in the 2026 Texas Senate race as the last large urban county in Texas controlled by Republicans.

Vasant Bhatt's endorsement and online backlash

• ▪Vasant Bhatt, a 21-year-old University of Houston political science student and former intern for Republican Senator Ted Cruz, publicly announced he voted for Democrat James Talarico.
• ▪Right-wing activists online targeted Vasant Bhatt after he publicly opposed Republican political platforms and announced his support for Democratic candidates in Texas.