James Talarico on viral defense of Jasmine Crockett: ‘I felt offended by folks going after a great public servant’
TheGrio...
After his viral rebuke of supporters criticizing Rep. Jasmine Crockett, the Texas Democrat tells theGrio why he felt compelled to speak out and how he’s working to earn Black voters’ trust ahead of November.
James Talarico, the Democratic nominee for the U.S. Senate in Texas, is reacting to a viral moment in which he defended U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett, telling his supporters to keep the congresswoman’s name out of their mouths.
“I felt, just at a personal level, offended,” Talarico told theGrio during a sit-down interview on Wednesday.
Talarico’s viral remarks came in response to his supporters repeatedly attacking Crockett, his former opponent in the Democratic primary. Critics of those attacks argued they were rooted in racism and sexism.
Last week, while speaking to Black voters at a Houston town hall, Talarico condemned the attacks. He told theGrio he felt it was important to speak out forcefully, not only because Crockett is a friend whom he worked with in the Texas House of Representatives, but also because she is a leader who “deserves our utmost respect and our deep gratitude for her service.”
Talarico did not shy away from the fact that there are divisions among Texas Democrats following the highly competitive primary against Crockett, telling theGrio, “If we’re really serious about winning this race, if people who claim to be my supporters or who claim to be part of this movement we’re building, if they’re sincere in that support, then they should be trying to heal divisions, not deepen divisions.”
TheGrio asked Talarico about his response to those who argued his defense of Crockett didn’t come soon enough. The 37-year-old state lawmaker said, “I can’t obviously control every comment made on the internet, but I can show leadership. And I’m trying to do a better job of that.”
Talarico also noted that he released a video earlier in the primary, when Crockett first entered the race, urging his supporters to treat her with the “utmost respect” throughout the campaign.
“A lot of our supporters did, and then you’ve seen other folks who are not doing that,” he told theGrio.
While Crockett, a U.S. representative from Dallas, was defeated by Talarico in the March primary, she overwhelmingly won a majority of Black voters statewide over Talarico. Political strategists note that a Democrat cannot win the U.S. Senate in Texas—a feat that hasn’t happened since 1988—without strong turnout among Black voters. As a result, Talarico has been hitting the campaign trail across the state, trying to win over Crockett’s base of supporters, who are not guaranteed to vote in the general election against Republican nominee Ken Paxton.
Talarico told theGrio that he and Crockett are “locked into the same goal” of defeating Paxton on Nov. 3, and noted she endorsed his campaign and the entire Democratic ticket the morning after her defeat in the primary. He acknowledged that was a “hard thing to do.”
“She is now helping down-ballot candidates all over the state, which is critical if we’re gonna build the movement we need at a deep level in communities across Texas. She is doing the work [and] she has done more than enough to help us,” he said. “Winning this campaign is my job as the Democratic nominee, and we’re grateful for the Congresswoman’s support.”
When questioned if he asked Crockett to campaign directly with him before Election Day, Talarico told theGrio, “I would be honored to have the Congresswoman on the campaign trail. She’s one of the most talented campaigners in the country.” He added, “I know she’s focused on down-ballot candidates, but she has an open invitation to join me anytime on the campaign trail.”
While Crockett could, without a doubt, boost his support among Black voters, it appears Talarico’s outreach to Black Texans is already paying off. A New York Times/Sienna Poll of likely Black voters in Texas found that 80% said they would vote for him if the election were held today. That percentage of support is slightly higher than the number of Black voters who said they would vote for Democratic gubernatorial nominee Gina Hinojosa (78%) and who recalled voting for Kamala Harris in the 2024 presidential election (78%).
However, Talarico still has work to do. Among polled Black voters, 12% said they have a “very unfavorable” view of him.
The Democrat told theGrio that he will keep traveling across the state to speak directly with Black Texans.
“We’re going to keep talking about the issues that are facing Black communities across the state; the attack on voting rights, this maternal mortality crisis, which is three times deadlier for black women. We’re gonna be talking about the funding gap with HBCUs and bringing the funding for our historically Black colleges and universities up to parity,” said Talarico. “We’re going to keep talking about housing affordability and universal health care and ensuring that we can all get by in this economy. And we’re gonna do that with and for Black Texans all over this state.”