Democratic U.S. Representative Jasmine Crockett of Texas announced her candidacy for the U.S. Senate on December 8, 2025, filing paperwork hours before the state deadline to challenge Republican incumbent John Cornyn in the 2026 midterm elections. The 44-year-old congresswoman from Dallas, who represents Texas’s 30th congressional district, launched her bid at a rally featuring a campaign video in which she stands silently while comments by President Donald Trump about Crockett play, including him calling her a “low IQ person.” Crockett’s entry reshapes a Democratic primary that saw former Rep. Colin Allred drop out earlier today, leaving her as the frontrunner against state Rep. James Talarico. The race targets a seat Cornyn has held since 2002, in a state where no Democrat has won statewide office in more than three decades.
Crockett built her career as a public defender and civil rights attorney before winning election to the Texas House in 2020 and Congress in 2022, becoming the youngest Black lawmaker in the state legislature during her tenure there. As the sole Black freshman in the Texas House amid its most conservative session on record, she championed reforms to policing practices, expanded voting access, and loosened drug laws, often delivering passionate floor speeches that drew attention beyond Austin. In Washington, she has served on the House Judiciary and Oversight committees, emerging as a vocal advocate for civil liberties in underrepresented communities. Her national profile surged through appearances at Democratic events, including a raucous speech at the 2024 Democratic National Convention, where she described Trump as “a vindictive, vile villain.”
Crockett has gained fame for sharp confrontations with Republicans, such as a May 2024 House Oversight Committee hearing where she responded to Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene’s taunt about her “fake eyelashes” with a quip about Greene’s “bleach-blond, bad-built butch body,” a moment that went viral and inspired satire on Saturday Night Live. Critics have accused her of transphobic language in that exchange, though Crockett clarified she has consistently supported transgender individuals. Other controversies include her March 2025 reference to Texas Gov. Greg Abbott as “Governor Hot Wheels,” apparently mocking his wheelchair use following a 1984 accident, which drew bipartisan condemnation for insensitivity toward disabilities. That same month, she voiced support for nonviolent anti-Tesla protests targeting Elon Musk, stating on her birthday, “all I want to see happen... is for Elon to be taken down,” later emphasizing peaceful action. Federal Election Commission records also revealed that she accepted nearly $400,000 from political action committees, despite a 2020 social media claim that she took “zero dollars” from corporate PACs.
Supporters praise Crockett’s entry as a bold infusion of energy into a stagnant Democratic field in Texas. “There’s a responsibility that lies with all of us, especially in this moment,” she said at her Dallas launch event, drawing parallels to Barack Obama’s 2008 campaign by noting how many “no’s” he faced before success. Carroll Robinson, chair of the Texas Coalition of Black Democrats, told CNN the polling indicates broad appeal among everyday voters, not just insiders. Opponents, however, view her as a gift to Republicans. Former CNN analyst Chris Cillizza described the bid as “beyond bad for Democrats nationally,” citing her polarizing style. The National Republican Senatorial Committee called her their “#1 recruit,” releasing a July poll showing her leading the Democratic primary but trailing Cornyn by double digits in a general election matchup. Trump has repeatedly labeled her “low IQ,” a barb she repurposed in her announcement video.
Assessing Crockett’s prospects, recent surveys position her strongly in the March 3, 2026, Democratic primary, with leads of 31% to 42% over Talarico and others in multi-candidate fields. A University of Houston and Texas Southern University poll from late September, for instance, gave her 31% in a four-way primary, ahead of Talarico’s 25%. Yet the general election outlook remains daunting in Republican-leaning Texas, where Trump won by double digits in 2024 and Allred lost to Sen. Ted Cruz by 10 points as a moderate. The same University of Houston poll showed Cornyn defeating Crockett decisively, while a National Republican Senatorial Committee survey echoed her primary strength but general-election vulnerability. Democrats express mixed views: some, like anonymous party strategists cited by CNN, worry her progressive rhetoric alienates swing voters, potentially costing a Senate majority; others see her viral appeal mobilizing turnout in urban strongholds like Dallas. With the GOP eyeing a Senate map favorable to their majority, Crockett’s campaign hinges on expanding the electorate amid anti-Trump backlash. However, historical trends favor Cornyn’s reelection.