Jasmine Crockett says she won’t be out stumping for James Talarico, opting instead to spend her time lifting lesser-known Democrats and backing down-ballot races as she exits Congress.

Democrat Rep. Jasmine Crockett (TX-30) told CNN she plans to focus on down-ballot efforts rather than actively campaigning for James Talarico, who beat her in a primary earlier this year. Her decision comes as Texas redrew district lines and Crockett prepares to leave Congress, so she says her remaining energy will go toward other Democratic contenders. That choice landed in the national spotlight because it signals a public split within the party at a critical moment in the Texas Senate fight.

On camera with Laura Coates, Crockett offered a clear take on how she wants to allocate her time: “I will be campaigning down ballot,” the lawmaker answered. “I think that what matters most—because when we’re looking at a state like Texas, we’ve tried this where we’ve got one amazing candidate that’s running at the top of the ticket, Beto [O’Rourke], is a very good example of this, raising all the money, doing all the things, running around the entire state, but it’s not enough.” She made the case that votes are earned by building many fights, not just one marquee campaign.

Crockett framed her approach as practical and strategic, arguing that spotlighting overlooked races can move turnout in ways a single star campaign often cannot. She said she wants to lift up candidates who otherwise might be drowned out by attention paid to a single statewide contender. That rationale fits a familiar Democratic playbook that prizes broad down-ballot organizing, even as it highlights internal tensions when candidates don’t line up behind each other.

When pressed about balancing support, Crockett added, “So for me, I don’t think that it should be a matter of there’s just one thing that is getting me to the polls,” Crockett continued. She emphasized the importance of giving voters multiple reasons to show up and suggested that a mix of local and statewide pitches can overcome complacency or the temptation to sit out. The tone was firm but pointed — a decision that doubles as both strategy and a private rebuke.

I think that making sure that people that maybe are getting overshadowed because it seems like it’s only about one big race, I think amplifying them, making sure that I can raise their profiles and introducing them to people, that’ll give something more to voters to make them say, you know what, it may be raining outside, but I got to go get there because I got to go get there for this person and this person. Plus, I don’t like Trump.

Coates then asked if supporting down-ballot candidates was an either-or proposition, suggesting Crockett could both campaign for Talarico and still help other races. That’s when Crockett glitched. “I think it— I think it probably is only because I am, you know, we’ve got the FIRE PAC that’s going and I’m running all over the country,” she said. “And Texas is a big state. We’re not talking about a small little state to kind of get around. We’re talking about a really big state.” The stumble underscored how awkward it can be to publicly decline to back your own party’s standard-bearer.

And so for me, I’m really invested in a number of candidates that I didn’t get to do anything for because I was running my own Senate race, candidates that I really do believe can make a difference no matter what happens ultimately at the top of the ticket. We’ve got to have wins.

This is a rather long-winded way of saying “I don’t like Talarico, so I’m not going to campaign for him.” But Crockett still has be diplomatic if she has future political ambitions, so she framed the refusal as a prioritization of small races rather than a flat rejection. Politics often demands public unity; Crockett chose to show a different, blunt calculation that will please some activists and ruffle others.

The Texas Senate contest itself is tight and getting national attention, with James Talarico and Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton running in what many observers call a statistical dead heat. Recent public polling showed Talarico ahead by a roughly six-point margin, 48 percent to 42 percent, but those numbers vary by poll and methodology. Both campaigns are clearly treating every county as winnable, and high-profile breaks inside the Democratic camp only make the race more volatile.

It’s worth noting that polling and partisan lean can shift quickly, especially in a state as large and diverse as Texas. Some polls have shown the two candidates essentially neck and neck, and ground organization, turnout machines, and local dynamics will decide much more than splashy ads or endorsements. Crockett’s choice to push down-ballot could help Democrats in pockets where turnout is fragile, or it could split focus at exactly the moment a united front might matter most.

https://x.com/Acyn/status/2093179282612949427