Jasmine Crockett on blazing her own trail in Texas politics

Texas Rep. Jasmine Crockett didn’t spend her Christmas Day relaxing.
Instead, the Dallas-area Democrat visited a homeless shelter named The Bridge, where she spoke with residents about their struggles, asking how long they had “been off their feet,” in her words.
Even as the election season heats up, Crockett tells Daily Kos that she didn’t mention her Senate campaign once. Instead, she focused on connecting people to the resources her office provides, and encouraged them to reach out directly.
It’s a notable choice, especially since she faces a tight Democratic primary against state Rep. James Talarico. (Read our Q&A with Talarico here.)
The path for Crockett—or any Democrat, for that matter—won’t be easy. She has to first get through a contested primary and then, if things go her way there, a general election. She also must navigate scrutiny over her past comments, including saying that some Latino voters’ anti-immigrant attitudes derive from a “slave mentality”—a comment she later walked back.
Texas Rep. Jasmine Crockett speaks at a rally in Austin, Texas.Crockett, however, isn’t slowing down. She says her focus is on expanding the electorate and bringing infrequent voters to the polls.
Quick on her feet and talented at generating viral moments, Crockett has built a profile that resonates with many Democrats in Texas and beyond. At a time when the party often struggles to convey authenticity, Crockett stands out as someone who can communicate clearly and energetically—never scripted or dull. Operatives point to her fundraising potential and name recognition as key advantages heading into a competitive primary.
Still, the ultimate question remains: Can she turn Texas blue?
This interview has been lightly edited for length and clarity.
Daily Kos: Tell me a little about what led you to run for the Senate.
Crockett: I was watching the polling, and it became clear that if Rep. Wesley Hunt stayed in the race, Republicans would be forced into a runoff—something you rarely see in a Texas Senate contest. And everyone knows that when Republicans fight longer, their eventual nominee comes out more bruised.
I’ve been helping campaigns across the country, and the level of engagement right now is real. That shift made me think, This might actually be possible.
My biggest hesitation about running statewide was infrastructure. But in a race that could be close, there’s real value in having a candidate who can consistently carry the Democratic message. High name recognition matters, especially in an expensive statewide race.
The final question for me was whether I could expand the electorate. Texas has some of the lowest turnout in the country, and I kept thinking, If we can just get people to vote, we might actually win. We tested that, and the data showed I was in the strongest position to do it.
At the end of the day, I just want Democrats to win. Knowing the numbers were strongest for me was heavy, because the easiest option would’ve been to stay in the House. But after a lot of prayer and many conversations, I decided I needed to step up and do my part.
DK: You’ve said that you have internal polling that suggests you can win. Yet you haven’t shared that polling with outlets such as The Texas Tribune, which have asked for it. Would you be willing to send those findings to us at Daily Kos?
Crockett: Probably not. I don’t want Republicans fundraising or repositioning themselves based on my polling, so I’ve kept it close to the chest. They have their own internal numbers, and I’m pretty confident they’re seeing the same trends—which is why the attacks are coming my way.
Republican Sen. John Cornyn of Texas, shown last October.I’ll say this: It wasn’t a coincidence. The day after I attended the state championship game alongside [incumbent Republican Sen.] John Cornyn, he was booed, laughed at, or met with silence, while I was cheered at every game. That was Saturday. By Sunday, [Vice President] JD Vance was taking shots at me—someone who’s never talked about me nearly as much as the president does.
Once Republicans settle on a nominee, I’ll probably end up saying more than I should about my opponent. But make no mistake: This will be a very competitive race.
DK: Your campaign announcement video featured audio of President Donald Trump criticizing you. To what extent will your campaign focus on your opposition to Trump, and do you believe that is a winning strategy in Texas, where he won by about 13 points in 2024?
Crockett: The polling is clear: the president is down. He made a lot of promises he didn’t keep. If Cornyn is the nominee, I’ll talk plainly about the damage he’s done by tying himself so closely to Trump.
But this race isn’t just about Washington. There are real, statewide issues I care deeply about and will discuss on the trail. For me, it’s about connecting the dots. You can’t explain how we got here without talking about the president—but he didn’t do this alone. That’s why Texas needs a senator who’s focused on the people of this state, not on protecting the president.
As for the video, we wanted to do something different because I am different. I didn’t duck the attacks. I met them head-on. They’re going to keep coming, and when it’s all said and done, I’ll still be standing and smiling.
DK: I want to return to the idea that you believe you can expand the electorate of potential voters. Texas has not elected a Democrat to statewide office in decades. What is your specific strategy for growing the electorate and appealing to voters who typically do not participate in elections?
Crockett: My idea isn’t to go up to people and be like, “Oh, you’re a Republican. Let me sit here and talk to you.” I want to talk to people who feel the government has never worked for them and that all politicians are the same. Those are the people I want to engage, and we have anecdotal evidence that it’s working.
Jasmine Crockett, surrounded by other Democratic members of Congress and Texas House Democrats, speaks during a press conference at the Democratic Party in Warrenville, Illinois, last August.We won’t tell anybody that they don’t have space in our camp. If your rural hospital is closing, if your town is losing jobs, if food prices are up, we’ll talk about it.
And if you’re looking for better, then I have it for you. I’m not going to sugarcoat and pretend that I’m going to stand against the LGBTQIA community. I don’t plan to bend to be somebody I’m not to get votes. I want honest conversations about why Texans are struggling, leaving the culture wars out, focusing on what unites us.
I will make the effort to get to those people who genuinely have felt like nobody’s ever talked to them, because I have a lot more of those people that I can go after.
DK: Your outspoken, progressive style has earned you a national profile, but some critics question whether it will resonate statewide in a largely red state. How do you balance your communication style with the need to appeal to more moderate Texas voters?
Crockett: I think right now we are all in hell. One of the last emails I got before I announced was from a longtime Republican—an older white man who now identifies as an independent—who asked me to run not because he agreed with me on everything, but because he wanted someone in office with integrity who would do what they believe is best for the country.
I’ve seen that sentiment firsthand. At the championship game I mentioned earlier, I met another older voter who had grown disillusioned with Republicans and told me I’m the candidate needed for this moment. These aren’t lefties—they’re people who walked away because they couldn’t support what the party has become.
I’ll be honest: I think Republicans will vote for me in larger numbers. Polling backs that up. In every hypothetical Texas Senate matchup I’ve seen, crossover support is within the margin of error—about 1%—which is why I don’t believe in the mythical “crossover.”
What my authenticity does is make clear that nobody is pulling my strings. Voters don’t have to agree with me on everything, but they know they can count on me on the fundamentals—jobs, education, health care, and keeping a roof over their heads.
DK: Now that former Rep. Colin Allred dropped out of the [Senate] race, you’re facing state Rep. James Talarico in the Democratic primary. Are there any major policy areas in which you disagree with Talarico?
Crockett: I don’t really know where he stands on federal policy, since his experience is entirely at the state level. I don’t think he’s even put up a policy page on his website yet.
Texas state Rep. James Talarico, who is running for Senate, speaks at a rally last August.I’m also not sure how well-versed he is in the federal issues we deal with. In the middle of a major health care fight, for example, I don’t know where he stands. Most of his talking points focus on billionaires and money—who has it and who doesn’t. To me, that feels surface-level.
Having worked at both state and federal levels, I’ve learned how much complexity there is once you’re actually governing. You have to understand problems in granular detail to offer real solutions, whether in housing or agriculture.
Right now, in a fight like this, voters want a known quantity—not a question mark.
DK: Republicans, including Trump, have suggested that your candidacy is a “gift” to the GOP because they believe you’re unelectable statewide. How do you respond to these claims?
Crockett: These guys are terrible at poker. If that’s the case, why telegraph it before the primary? Why not wait? A lot of this is puffery. 
In truth, they’re fearful. Their plan is to win simply because they’re Republicans. They’ve been very good at throwing bombs at Democrats and having us scatter. Look at the presidential election: They kept saying, “Biden is old. He’s senile.” Democrats picked up on that and then did all the work for them. 
Meanwhile, Republicans nominated an old man [Trump] themselves. Clearly, they couldn’t care less, but they’re skilled at pushing our sensitivities and getting us to react.
Now they’re trying the same tactic with me, saying “Jasmine’s not electable” and hoping Democrats buy it and don’t nominate me. But if they really believed that, they’d stay quiet—it would be the easiest path to victory.
DK: You’ve talked a lot about meeting this political moment honestly and on your own terms. Where do you think Democratic leadership sometimes misreads what voters are responding to right now—and what would you want the party to understand if you’re elected?
Crockett: Voters feel like some people simply aren’t prepared for this moment—and to be fair, it is unprecedented. A lot of folks are still figuring out how to meet it.
What I’ve done consistently is be a trusted truth-teller. Everyone has a different style, and what works in one state won’t work in another. When you’re talking about senators from 50 states, success really comes down to being in tune with your voters. I don’t know how Senate leadership is handling that—I’m not on that side—but if I flip this seat, which no Texas Democrat has done in 30 years, I want to be able to say, I got here by being me. Let me keep doing that.
I’ve never told colleagues to try to copy me. What I push for is authenticity—being a trusted messenger. People spot bullshit quickly. I think they respect that I’m direct and no-nonsense, and that I don’t try to fit into a preset mold. I need the freedom to operate in my own lane.
Look at Texas. [Rep.] Henry Cuellar is a different kind of Democrat. He’s won a district Trump carried, even after it was redrawn to make that harder. I’ve never attacked him for his votes, because I trust colleagues to do what works for their districts. I ask leadership for the same courtesy. I stand firmly in my choices, but I don’t think tearing down other Democrats is productive.