Texas Rep. Jasmine Crockett didn\u2019t spend her Christmas Day relaxing.
\nInstead, the Dallas-area Democrat visited a homeless shelter named The Bridge, where she spoke with residents about their struggles, asking how long they had \u201cbeen off their feet,\u201d in her words.
\nEven as the election season heats up, Crockett tells Daily Kos that she didn\u2019t mention her Senate campaign once. Instead, she focused on connecting people to the resources her office provides, and encouraged them to reach out directly.
\nIt\u2019s a notable choice, especially since she faces a tight Democratic primary against state Rep. James Talarico. (Read our Q&A with Talarico here.)
\nThe path for Crockett\u2014or any Democrat, for that matter\u2014won\u2019t 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\u2019 anti-immigrant attitudes derive from a \u201cslave mentality\u201d\u2014a comment she later walked back.
\nTexas Rep. Jasmine Crockett speaks at a rally in Austin, Texas.Crockett, however, isn\u2019t slowing down. She says her focus is on expanding the electorate and bringing infrequent voters to the polls.
\nQuick 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\u2014never scripted or dull. Operatives point to her fundraising potential and name recognition as key advantages heading into a competitive primary.
\nStill, the ultimate question remains: Can she turn Texas blue?
\nThis interview has been lightly edited for length and clarity.
\nDaily Kos: Tell me a little about what led you to run for the Senate.
\nCrockett: 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\u2014something you rarely see in a Texas Senate contest. And everyone knows that when Republicans fight longer, their eventual nominee comes out more bruised.
\nI\u2019ve 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.
\nMy biggest hesitation about running statewide was infrastructure. But in a race that could be close, there\u2019s real value in having a candidate who can consistently carry the Democratic message. High name recognition matters, especially in an expensive statewide race.
\nThe 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.
\nAt 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\u2019ve 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.
\nDK: You\u2019ve said that you have internal polling that suggests you can win. Yet you haven\u2019t 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?
\nCrockett: Probably not. I don\u2019t want Republicans fundraising or repositioning themselves based on my polling, so I\u2019ve kept it close to the chest. They have their own internal numbers, and I\u2019m pretty confident they\u2019re seeing the same trends\u2014which is why the attacks are coming my way.
\nRepublican Sen. John Cornyn of Texas, shown last October.I\u2019ll say this: It wasn\u2019t 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\u2014someone who\u2019s never talked about me nearly as much as the president does.
\nOnce Republicans settle on a nominee, I\u2019ll probably end up saying more than I should about my opponent. But make no mistake: This will be a very competitive race.
\nDK: 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?
\nCrockett: The polling is clear: the president is down. He made a lot of promises he didn\u2019t keep. If Cornyn is the nominee, I\u2019ll talk plainly about the damage he\u2019s done by tying himself so closely to Trump.
\nBut this race isn\u2019t just about Washington. There are real, statewide issues I care deeply about and will discuss on the trail. For me, it\u2019s about connecting the dots. You can\u2019t explain how we got here without talking about the president\u2014but he didn\u2019t do this alone. That\u2019s why Texas needs a senator who\u2019s focused on the people of this state, not on protecting the president.
\nAs for the video, we wanted to do something different because I am different. I didn\u2019t duck the attacks. I met them head-on. They\u2019re going to keep coming, and when it\u2019s all said and done, I\u2019ll still be standing and smiling.
\nDK: 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?
\nCrockett: My idea isn’t to go up to people and be like, \u201cOh, you\u2019re a Republican. Let me sit here and talk to you.\u201d 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\u2019s working.
\nJasmine 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\u2019t tell anybody that they don\u2019t have space in our camp. If your rural hospital is closing, if your town is losing jobs, if food prices are up, we\u2019ll talk about it.
\nAnd if you\u2019re looking for better, then I have it for you. I\u2019m not going to sugarcoat and pretend that I\u2019m going to stand against the LGBTQIA community. I don\u2019t plan to bend to be somebody I\u2019m not to get votes. I want honest conversations about why Texans are struggling, leaving the culture wars out, focusing on what unites us.
\nI will make the effort to get to those people who genuinely have felt like nobody\u2019s ever talked to them, because I have a lot more of those people that I can go after.
\nDK: 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?
\nCrockett: I think right now we are all in hell. One of the last emails I got before I announced was from a longtime Republican\u2014an older white man who now identifies as an independent\u2014who 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.
\nI\u2019ve 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\u2019m the candidate needed for this moment. These aren\u2019t lefties\u2014they\u2019re people who walked away because they couldn\u2019t support what the party has become.
\nI\u2019ll be honest: I think Republicans will vote for me in larger numbers. Polling backs that up. In every hypothetical Texas Senate matchup I\u2019ve seen, crossover support is within the margin of error\u2014about 1%\u2014which is why I don\u2019t believe in the mythical \u201ccrossover.\u201d
\nWhat my authenticity does is make clear that nobody is pulling my strings. Voters don\u2019t have to agree with me on everything, but they know they can count on me on the fundamentals\u2014jobs, education, health care, and keeping a roof over their heads.
\nDK: Now that former Rep. Colin Allred dropped out of the [Senate] race, you\u2019re facing state Rep. James Talarico in the Democratic primary. Are there any major policy areas in which you disagree with Talarico?
\nCrockett: I don\u2019t really know where he stands on federal policy, since his experience is entirely at the state level. I don\u2019t think he\u2019s even put up a policy page on his website yet.
\nTexas state Rep. James Talarico, who is running for Senate, speaks at a rally last August.I\u2019m 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\u2019t know where he stands. Most of his talking points focus on billionaires and money\u2014who has it and who doesn\u2019t. To me, that feels surface-level.
\nHaving worked at both state and federal levels, I\u2019ve learned how much complexity there is once you\u2019re actually governing. You have to understand problems in granular detail to offer real solutions, whether in housing or agriculture.
\nRight now, in a fight like this, voters want a known quantity\u2014not a question mark.
\nDK: Republicans, including Trump, have suggested that your candidacy is a \u201cgift\u201d to the GOP because they believe you\u2019re unelectable statewide. How do you respond to these claims?
\nCrockett: These guys are terrible at poker. If that\u2019s the case, why telegraph it before the primary? Why not wait? A lot of this is puffery.\u00a0
\nIn truth, they\u2019re fearful. Their plan is to win simply because they\u2019re Republicans. They\u2019ve been very good at throwing bombs at Democrats and having us scatter. Look at the presidential election: They kept saying, \u201cBiden is old. He\u2019s senile.\u201d Democrats picked up on that and then did all the work for them.\u00a0
\nMeanwhile, Republicans nominated an old man [Trump] themselves. Clearly, they couldn\u2019t care less, but they\u2019re skilled at pushing our sensitivities and getting us to react.
\nNow they\u2019re trying the same tactic with me, saying \u201cJasmine\u2019s not electable\u201d and hoping Democrats buy it and don\u2019t nominate me. But if they really believed that, they\u2019d stay quiet\u2014it would be the easiest path to victory.
\nDK: You\u2019ve 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\u2014and what would you want the party to understand if you\u2019re elected?
\nCrockett: Voters feel like some people simply aren\u2019t prepared for this moment\u2014and to be fair, it is unprecedented. A lot of folks are still figuring out how to meet it.
\nWhat I\u2019ve done consistently is be a trusted truth-teller. Everyone has a different style, and what works in one state won\u2019t work in another. When you\u2019re talking about senators from 50 states, success really comes down to being in tune with your voters. I don\u2019t know how Senate leadership is handling that\u2014I\u2019m not on that side\u2014but 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.
\nI\u2019ve never told colleagues to try to copy me. What I push for is authenticity\u2014being a trusted messenger. People spot bullshit quickly. I think they respect that I\u2019m direct and no-nonsense, and that I don\u2019t try to fit into a preset mold. I need the freedom to operate in my own lane.
\nLook at Texas. [Rep.] Henry Cuellar is a different kind of Democrat. He\u2019s won a district Trump carried, even after it was redrawn to make that harder. I\u2019ve 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\u2019t think tearing down other Democrats is productive.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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