Talarico Declares Victory Over Crockett In Texas Dem Senate Primary

State Sen. James Talarico won the Democratic Senate primary in Texas over  Rep. Jasmine Crockett. With 83% of the vote in, Talarico won 53% to Crockett’s 46%.

Talarico will face off against either Attorney General Ken Paxton or Sen. John Cornyn, who are themselves scheduled for a May 26 runoff election after neither GOP candidate could crack the 50% barrier on Tuesday.

“We’re about to take back Texas,” Talarico posted on X on Wednesday morning.

We’re about to take back Texas.

Join us: https://t.co/Cam7Y73uqe pic.twitter.com/2aEX4RMC5K

— James Talarico (@jamestalarico) March 4, 2026

The Cook Political Report ranks the race as “Likely Republican” as of Tuesday, with the Kalishi prediction market showing that Republicans have the upper hand in the race.

Although the Republican primary has been messy, the Democrats have had a brutal fight among themselves.

The campaign trail was marked by several heated moments, including when Talarico claimed that the Trump administration was responsible for nixing his interview with Stephen Colbert from airing over Equal Time Rule concerns, The Daily Wire reported.

“This is the interview Donald Trump didn’t want you to see,” Talarico claimed. “His FCC refused to air my interview with Stephen Colbert. Trump is worried we’re about to flip Texas.” The interview was ultimately posted online and gave a major publicity boost to his campaign.

“You had a Democrat candidate who understood the way that the news media works, and he took advantage of all of your sort of prior conceptions to run a hoax, apparently for the purpose of raising money and getting clicks,” Federal Communications Commission Chairman Brendan Carr fired back at a press conference last month after Talarico’s claims.

Former Rep. Colin Allred also played a role in the race, as he dropped out and instead pursued another bid for Congress, but he waded in over rumors that Talarico said privately that he “signed up to run against a mediocre Black man, not a formidable, intelligent Black woman,” according to Politico.

Allred posted a video slamming Talarico’s reported comments, saying, “Thank you for telling us who you really are and what you really think, and goodbye.”

“Don’t come for me unless I send for you, okay James? And keep my name out of your mouth while you’re at it,” he added, while also telling people to vote for Crockett instead. Allred lost to Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) in the 2024 Senate race.

“In my praise of Congresswoman Crockett, I described Congressman Allred’s method of campaigning as mediocre – but his life and service are not. I would never attack him on the basis of race,” the state senator said in a statement to Politico at the time.

Crockett also had the endorsement of former Vice President Kamala Harris, who lost Texas to Trump in 2024, and lawmakers like Sen. Angela Alsobrooks (D-MD).