U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett announced her run for Senate on Monday, a widely anticipated entry that will force Democrats to decide whether an outspoken progressive is the party’s best shot at stealing a seat in the conservative stronghold of Texas.
The decision by the fiery representative of the Dallas-based 30th Congressional District preemptively chased off one challenger and immediately provided a foil for Republicans already engaged in their own competitive primary.
Crockett, a member of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, has made a name for herself in the short time she has spent in the lower chamber.
During a May 2024 House Oversight Committee hearing, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene commented on Crockett’s physical appearance, specifically her eyelashes. Crockett then asked the chair if it would be acceptable to call someone a “bleach blonde, bad-built, butch body.”
The exchange went viral and introduced Crockett nationally as a Democrat willing to tangle with far-right Republicans on their terms.
She has also taken on Republican Gov. Greg Abbott, whom she previously referred to as “Governor Hot Wheels.” The comment was met with swift backlash because Abbott uses a wheelchair. Crockett denied she was mocking his disability, saying she was criticizing his policy of sending migrants who cross the border into Texas to blue cities across the country.
Prior to serving in the House, Crockett was a state lawmaker, a public defender and a civil rights attorney.
Crockett joins a crowded Democratic primary race that includes another rising star, state Rep. James Talarico, a former public school teacher. But she faces one less opponent after former U.S. Rep. Colin Allred ended his Senate run on Monday ahead of her announcement, instead opting to run to represent the 33rd Congressional District, which covers parts of Dallas and Tarrant counties.
A fierce competition is also unfolding in the Republican primary that features four-term incumbent Sen. John Cornyn, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and U.S. Rep. Wesley Hunt.
Cornyn brushed off Crockett’s entrance into the race.
“I think she wins the Democratic primary, and she’s the worst possible candidate they could have in Texas. She’s unelectable,” Cornyn told reporters in Washington.
Monday was the last day to file to run in the March 3 primary.
Mychael Schnell contributed to this report.
Erum Salam is a breaking news reporter for MS NOW, with a focus on how global events and foreign policy shape U.S. politics. She previously was a breaking news reporter for The Guardian.