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The White Whale
Texas has long been Democrats’ white whale. With a large Latino population, growing metropolitan areas and some narrow losses in recent years, it has loomed just out of reach. And if Democrats could win it, its 40 electoral votes would give them a massive advantage.
Nothing would show that dream is attainable more than winning a Senate seat in the Lone Star State next year for the first time since 1988.
It won’t be easy. While President Donald Trump’s popularity is tanking nationwide, he’s still holding stronger support in the state compared to his national polls and his polling on campaign issues like immigration are supported by half of Texans.
But there is a chance. Republican Sen. John Cornyn is facing a primary challenge from one of the most troubled politicians in the country, Attorney General Ken Paxton.
As a quick refresher, Paxton has been:
• indicted on three counts of felony security fraud in 2015, only getting the charges dismissed earlier this year after he completed a pretrial diversion agreement;
• impeached by the Republican state House on 20 articles relating to misconduct, bribery and abuse of office, only to be acquitted by the Republican state Senate;
• successfully sued by four former top deputies who say they were fired after reporting him to the FBI, costing the state of Texas $6.6 million in the legal judgment.
Despite all of that, polls show Cornyn, Paxton and Rep. Wesley Hunt locked in a tight three-way race for the Republican nomination. If Paxton somehow wins the primary, Democrats will be elated.
But first they’ll have to figure out who to run against him.
Just this week, progressive firebrand and rising star Rep. Jasmine Crockett announced just 90 minutes before the deadline that she will run for the Democratic nomination, while former U.S. representative and 2024 Senate nominee Colin Allred announced he was dropping out to run for the House, endorsing Crockett.
She’ll face James Talarico, a state representative, pastor and former public school teacher who garnered social media attention by calling out Republican legislation as un-Christian.
The race is shaping up to be a competition between two Democrats who both have a knack for getting attention online but with very different strategies.
Crockett has made a name for herself calling out her Republican colleagues in viral social media moments, earning big donations and speaking out against Trump on a regular basis.
Crockett posted a video before her announcement speech in which she says nothing, instead looking off-screen as Trump’s voice in the background calls her a “low-IQ person.” At the end, she turns to the camera, crosses her arms and smiles before the video cuts off with the message “Crockett for US Senate.”
There’s no doubt that Crockett has next-level charisma and a particular talent for going after Trump. But to win Texas she’ll need to convert a huge swath of independents, Republicans and other Trump voters who may resist her approach. Talarico is also charismatic, but in a quieter way that’s aimed more at converting people than riling them up. He not only appeared on podcaster Joe Rogan’s show for three hours, he did so well that Rogan told him he should run for president. To win the primary, Talarico will need to appeal to hard-core Democratic voters who are angry with Trump and may be looking for a more combative approach. This will be a marquee primary to watch. Both candidates are young, super effective on television and incredibly talented communicators. They will both raise a lot of money, ensuring they can get their message out. It will be interesting to see how their different approaches play out over the next few months. “How can it be appropriate for Jared Kushner to be included in negotiations between Russia and Ukraine? Mr. Kushner is not an elected or appointed official.” — Julie F., Tucson Ariz. Hi Julie, The short answer is: it isn’t. Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, who is heavily involved in real estate, has been at the table alongside Steve Witkoff regarding high-stakes peace negotiations between Ukraine and Russia. The broader concern surrounding Kushner’s involvement is whether he and Witkoff — a fellow real estate mogul and Trump family golf partner — are more interested in potential real estate and financial opportunities for themselves than in achieving peace. Questions about inappropriate family involvement have been a big talker for Democratic candidates. Crockett called out Trump’s administration as a “pay for play” scheme, citing huge gains in his family’s fortune since January. And Talarico’s main campaign message is around the fight against “billionaire megadonors” in Trump circles. As the midterms approach, it will be worth watching how deeply the Trump family’s business and political activities continue to influence the races. Every week, Jen selects a question to answer from a newsletter subscriber. If you have a question for Jen, submit it here and subscribe to the newsletter and for a chance to be featured in a future edition.
Jen Psaki is the host of "The Briefing with Jen Psaki" airing Tuesdays through Fridays at 9 p.m. EST. She is the former White House press secretary for President Joe Biden. Recommended
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