U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett, D-Dallas, reiterated her promise to challenge Republican leadership at a University event on Wednesday, where she discussed her campaign for U.S. Senate.
Crockett addressed an audience of supporters and undecided voters during a conversation at the Thompson Conference Center hosted by Evan Smith, a journalist and professor at the LBJ School of Public Affairs. The event comes one day after early voting began for a contentious U.S. Senate primary election.
During the interview, Crockett emphasized messages related to affordability and education. Though she praised Texas Democrats like Beto O’Rourke, who traveled across Texas in an attempt to court rural voters for his 2018 U.S. Senate campaign, Crockett said she will focus on mobilizing her base within urban centers.
“We need people that are ready for the current fight,” Crockett said. “Republicans fear me because when I walk into a room, I’m not only qualified — I’m also unafraid.”
Crockett, who describes herself as a “battle-tested fighter” on her website, has represented a Dallas-area congressional district since 2023, where she succeeded Eddie Bernice Johnson in the U.S. House of Representatives. Crockett served in the Texas House of Representatives before being elected to her current seat.
Her communication style has earned her praise from within her own party and condemnation from some Republicans and Democrats.
“She’s not afraid to speak the truth or what she believes to be the truth,” said Ed Jenkins, an Austin resident who attended the event because he wanted to hear from Crockett directly. “I don’t perceive her as being shy about confronting her opponents and speaking forcefully about them.”
Crockett faces state Rep. James Talarico, D-Austin, who has made his Christian faith central to his campaign. Across the aisle, incumbent Sen. John Cornyn, who has held the seat for 24 years, is running against the Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton in the Republican primary.
In early February, a TikTok creator said Talarico made comments disparaging former U.S. Rep. Colin Allred, D-Dallas, on the basis of his race during a private conversation with the state representative. Allred ran against Talarico for the U.S. Senate seat before leaving the race to run for Congress in December. Talarico has denied the allegations.
Crockett said the issue of race has been a factor in the primary election. A political action committee sent mailers to Texas residents, featuring pictures of her with intentionally darkened skin, Crockett said.
Crockett said she believes the Democratic Party can win its first statewide election in Texas since 1994 this November. The primary election will take place on March 3.
“This primary is going to come down to philosophies,” Crockett said. “It’s going to come down to whether or not Democrats believe that we should just be nice, play nice, and then (Republicans) will just play nice with us. Or if they believe that it’s going to take a real fight.”
