Jasmine Crockett backs James Talarico after loss but won’t ‘make plans’ to campaign for fellow Dem

DALLAS, TEXAS: Rep Jasmine Crockett on Wednesday, March 4, offered a formal endorsement to James Talarico while declining to commit to campaigning on his behalf after losing to him in the Texas Senate Democratic primary.

Despite support from major figures like Kamala Harris and Cardi B, Crockett fell short in the polls and later attributed her defeat to voter confusion and alleged Republican "cheating."

Jasmine Crockett backs James Talarico but won't campaign

Following her defeat in primary, Jasmine Crockett issued a statement emphasizing that Democrats “must remain united” to defeat the GOP in November.

While she confirmed that she called James Talarico to congratulate him on becoming the nominee, she did not promise to campaign for him.

Taking to X, she said, “Texas is primed to turn blue and we must remain united because this is bigger than any one person.”

“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. I’m committed to doing my part and will continue working to elect democrats up and down the ballot,” she added.

When asked about her future involvement in his race, Crockett told the New York Times that she would not “make plans for other people’s campaigns.”

This stance comes as Talarico prepares for a general election against the winner of a high-stakes Republican runoff between Senator John Cornyn and Attorney General Ken Paxton.

Jasmine Crockett accuses GOP of targeting Dallas County

At her campaign watch party, Jasmine Crockett claimed, without providing specific evidence, that changes to polling locations were a targeted effort by the GOP to steal the election.

She argued that “Unfortunately, this is what Republicans like to do, and so they specifically targeted Dallas County, and I think we all know why.”

Crockett expressed frustration over the logistics of the day, stating that “If one person has the right to vote, and they weren’t allowed to cast their vote, we should all be standing together. Democrats, Republicans, and we should all be raising hell.”

James Talarico wins Texas primary over Jasmine Crockett

Despite the legal battles that saw the Texas Supreme Court order provisional ballots to account for delays, the final numbers suggest James Talarico’s lead was substantial.

With the majority of ballots counted, Talarico secured 52.4% of the vote compared to Jasmine Crockett’s 46.2%.

Crockett remained defiant about the impact of the voting issues, telling the New York Times that “People will not turn out because of what’s happened, in my opinion, especially if no one fights for their votes to be counted.”

She further warned against the precedent set by the primary, noting that “We cannot allow this type of behavior to be rewarded, because so long as they know that they can win, even if it means cheating, then they will continue to do it.”