This week when Democrats meet at their state convention to energize and organize their party ahead of November, they鈥檒l be doing so without U.S. Rep. , D-Dallas, who declined an invitation to headline the event from James Talarico, the Senate nominee who defeated her in March.
Last week, Crockett that she hadn鈥檛 listened to Talarico鈥檚 message asking her to speak but thought the invitation was an 鈥渁fterthought.鈥� She added that she 鈥渉ad no idea鈥� if she鈥檇 be actively campaigning for her primary opponent because she was focusing more on down-ballot candidates.
Across the aisle, U.S. Sen. is no closer to letting up on his beef with Attorney General , who bested him for the Republican Senate nomination last month. In recent interviews, Cornyn said he would not campaign nor raise money for Paxton and of the attorney general from the primary as corrupt and unfit for office.
A month since the U.S. Senate race in Texas was set, Paxton and Talarico鈥檚 most notable skeptics of late are still their primary opponents, who have publicly cast doubt on the coalitions behind the nominees 鈥� highlighting potential vulnerabilities the candidates face in shoring up their support ahead of November after deeply divisive primaries.
Cornyn and Crockett鈥檚 comments spotlighted the voting blocs who backed them in the primary whose support and enthusiasm the nominees are now looking to capture. While Paxton will need to minimize potential defections by Cornyn鈥檚 voters 鈥� traditional Republicans repelled by the attorney general鈥檚 long 鈥� Talarico will need to gin up excitement among Black voters, who are central to the Democratic base and broke overwhelmingly for Crockett in March.
鈥淚鈥檝e not heard a bunch of kumbaya,鈥� Crockett about whether Talarico had done enough to win over Black voters. 鈥淧eople don鈥檛 seem to be convinced at this point, but there鈥檚 a lot of time between now and November.鈥�
Matthew Wilson, a political science professor at Southern Methodist University, said Cornyn and Crockett鈥檚 muted support could stifle enthusiasm on Election Day.
鈥淭here鈥檚 some sour grapes on both the Democratic and the Republican sides about the way that things ended up playing out,鈥� Wilson said. 鈥淲hile in the end both Cornyn and Crockett will signal support for their party鈥檚 ticket, the level of enthusiasm that they bring to that is going to be pretty limited.鈥�
In a statement, Crockett spokesperson Karrol Rimal reiterated the congresswoman鈥檚 endorsement of Talarico, which she issued the day after she lost the primary and noted during a Saturday.
鈥淭he congresswoman is a lifelong Democrat who wants to see Dems retake the House, Senate, governor鈥檚 mansion and the state Legislature,鈥� Rimal said. 鈥淐ongresswoman Jasmine Crockett will continue being a force for change, civil rights and equal representation with or without a title.鈥�
In a statement, Talarico spokesperson JT Ennis said, 鈥淛ames is honored to have Congresswoman Crockett鈥檚 endorsement in this race.鈥�
He added, 鈥淲hile Republicans, Independents and Democrats continue to reject Ken Paxton鈥檚 corruption, Texans are coming together in this election to do something extraordinary: End thirty years of one-party rule and give hope to working people left behind by this broken, corrupt political system rigged by billionaire megadonors and puppet politicians like Ken Paxton.鈥�
Cornyn鈥檚 campaign declined to comment for this story.
Paxton spokesperson Madison Cercy did not address Cornyn鈥檚 remarks or Republican divides in response to a request for comment for this story, and instead issued a statement about among Democrats, calling on Talarico to 鈥減ublicly apologize鈥� for what she cast as 鈥渟exist and racist attacks鈥� during the primary.
Brendan Steinhauser, a Republican strategist uninvolved in the race, argued that the tenor of conversation at this point in the cycle was 鈥渘ormal for competitive and often emotional primaries,鈥� and not necessarily indicative of a deeper or lasting discontent among Cornyn and Crockett鈥檚 supporters with their party鈥檚 nominee.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a long way from November, and eventually Republicans and Democrats are going to come home,鈥� he said.
On the Republican side, Texas GOP leaders have to come together 鈥� or risk a Democratic upset in November.
But Cornyn has stood by the attacks he levied against Paxton during the primary, that he would leave it to President Donald Trump to shell out the tens of millions of dollars Paxton鈥檚 campaign will need for the general election. He also that Trump, who all but sealed the senior senator鈥檚 demise by granting Paxton an 11th-hour endorsement, would regret his decision to do so and see Paxton鈥檚 nomination threaten GOP control of the seat and down-ballot races.
鈥淚t鈥檚 going to make things harder, certainly more expensive in Texas, and make it harder around the country,鈥� Cornyn said. Trump is 鈥済oing to have the most miserable two years of his life in the last two years of his term, I think, because I think November is going to be a disaster.鈥�
At the Texas GOP convention last month, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick one of two 鈥渟ore losers鈥� among Republicans who lost their primaries for his unwillingness to throw his support behind his former opponent.
鈥淚鈥檝e already seen bad behavior by two鈥� Republicans who lost, Patrick said. 鈥淲e cannot have any people deserting our party in November of 2026 if we鈥檙e going to keep Texas red. We have to come together.鈥�
Comments like those, Cornyn told Semafor, are evidence that Texas GOP leaders were 鈥渂asically continuing to alienate what I would call traditional conservative Republicans like me, and the people who voted for me. Makes no sense whatsoever.鈥�
Other Republicans have also about their reluctance to support Paxton.
鈥淧lease explain to me how bashing Sen. Cornyn, a good man with a lifetime of service to the state of Texas and the country, is going to help convince his 900k supporters to vote for Ken,鈥� former Southlake mayor and state Senate candidate John Huffman, a Republican, . 鈥淣ewsflash to the top of the ticket - YOU NEED US. Best you start acting like it.鈥�
The enduring intraparty conflict signals an opening for Talarico, who has made appealing to Cornyn supporters and disaffected voters across the political spectrum central to his general election strategy. Recent polling has found Talarico narrowly trailing Paxton overall, but winning of and trouncing the hardline attorney general .
Steinhauser said he expected Paxton鈥檚 campaign to 鈥渞ecalibrate a little bit on focus and messaging for the general election鈥� and coalesce Republican voters.
鈥淭hey鈥檙e going to continue to be that conservative fighter that the voters want to see, but I also expect that you鈥檙e going to see Paxton and his team do a good job of appealing to Cornyn Republicans, appealing to independents who lean conservative,鈥� he said. 鈥淭hey鈥檙e very aware that they need to do that, and I expect them to do so.鈥�
As Talarico pursues potential crossover voters, he鈥檒l also need to mobilize Black Texans, among whom Crockett is an influential leader.
She endorsed him quickly after the primary. But since then, the Dallas congresswoman, one of the state鈥檚 most prominent Black leaders, has questioned the unity of voters behind the statewide ticket and said her focus will largely be on boosting down-ballot candidates through , her new leadership PAC, rather than the top of the ticket.
Crockett鈥檚 comments set off an online firestorm that revived racial tensions from the primary, with many of the congresswoman鈥檚 social media allies viewing criticisms of her remarks as unfairly demanding she campaign for Talarico.
鈥淧eople seem to be obsessed with now dictating what I鈥檒l do and when?!鈥� Crockett Friday. 鈥淚 said as a senate candidate that I鈥檇 be focused on the down ballot and my plan to do that hasn鈥檛 changed.鈥�
Dallas Jones, a Democratic strategist uninvolved with the race, argued that while Talarico needed to energize Black voters to support a surge in Democratic turnout in November, Paxton faced the more daunting task of curtailing crossover voting.
Still, Jones said, muted enthusiasm for Talarico from Crockett could make it harder for his campaign to 鈥渟how that there is a genuine desire and quest to go after these Black voters, particularly around Black women who have experienced being the most loyal voting bloc in this party and suffering disappointments 鈥� what I have called Kamala trauma.鈥�
Roughly two-thirds of Black voters said they would support Talarico over Paxton, recent 鈥� lower than the proportion that have U.S. Senate candidate in .
Talarico has since the primary, visiting Black churches and universities, meeting with Black leaders around the state, rolling out a plan to tackle maternal mortality, which disproportionately impacts Black women, and more.
Numerous Black elected officials have campaigned and served as surrogates for him, including influential Black Democrats Harris County Commissioner Rodney Ellis and state Sen. Royce West of Dallas. Texas Organizing Project, which supported Crockett during the primary and is dedicated to mobilizing Black and Latino voters, also endorsed Talarico last month.
Ellis Talarico would win a 鈥渢remendous amount of support in the African American community because Black Texans more than anybody else 鈥� we鈥檝e had the brunt of disadvantages in the state, and we know how important it is to end this one-party rule in Texas.鈥�
鈥淚 was for Jasmine Crockett in the primary 鈥� that was then, this is now,鈥� Ellis in Houston last month. 鈥淭here鈥檚 too much at stake to be petty.鈥�
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