Texas state Rep. James Talarico scored a surprise victory over U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett in the March 3 Democratic primary for U.S. Senate. The upset has raised questions about the party’s direction in the state.
With about 94% of the vote counted by Wednesday morning, Talarico held just under 53% of the vote compared with Crockett’s nearly 46%, according to the Associated Press. The race was called overnight after confusion about poll closing times delayed final reporting.
Crockett conceded early Wednesday and said she had already called Talarico to congratulate him.
“Texas is primed to turn blue,” Crockett said in a statement. “This is about the future of all 30 million Texans and getting America back on track. With the primary behind us, Democrats must rally around our nominees and win.”
The race saw logistical issues on election night. Voters in Dallas County and Williamson County were reportedly turned away from polling places after rules changed, requiring them to cast ballots only in their assigned precincts, not anywhere in the county.
A judge ordered voting hours extended by two hours. However, the Texas Supreme Court later ruled that ballots cast in Dallas County after the original closing time had to be separated, at the request of Attorney General Ken Paxton.
Crockett criticized the disruptions and said Republicans “targeted” Dallas County. Her campaign said it plans to file a lawsuit over what it described as voter disenfranchisement.
Talarico, a 36-year-old former middle school teacher and seminary student, built his campaign around a populist message focused on economic issues.
“American politics is more about top versus the bottom than liberal versus conservative,” Talarico has argued on the campaign trail.
Crockett entered the race months after Talarico and initially held a strong lead thanks to her national profile and fundraising network. But Democratic strategists later said her campaign struggled with organization and messaging.
“People who don’t understand politics will be upset because Jasmine was their hero,” Texas state Rep. Jolanda Jones declared. “But for people who understand politics, she literally had no ground game. This loss is on her.”
“A lot of people in the Democratic Party want our labor. They do not want our leadership,” said Houston political strategist Tayhlor Coleman.
Crockett’s campaign pushed back against criticism, suggesting that outside spending and voting disruptions were to blame.
“This was the most expensive Democratic primary ever in Texas,” former deputy campaign manager Karrol Rimal said. “Despite being outspent, she held her own and excited an untapped base of support.”
Talarico now heads into the general election hoping to end Democrats’ nearly four-decade losing streak in Texas Senate races, which dates back to 1988.
