In Dallas, Representative Jasmine Crockett extended her endorsement to James Talarico on Wednesday, following her concession in the Texas Senate Democratic primary. However, she told The New York Times that she would not actively campaign for Talarico, despite her support.
Crockett, a newly elected member of the House, had received notable endorsements from Vice President Kamala Harris and the rapper Cardi B. Nevertheless, she did not perform as expected in the primary held on Tuesday. She attributed her defeat to voter confusion at polling places in Dallas, stemming from last-minute judicial decisions.
In a public statement, Crockett emphasized the importance of Democratic unity as Talarico pushes forward in the ongoing race. The runoff election features incumbent Senator John Cornyn and state Attorney General Ken Paxton vying for the Republican nomination in the Senate race.
“This morning, I reached out to James to congratulate him on securing the Senate nomination,” Crockett stated. “With the primary now over, it’s crucial for Democrats to unite behind our candidates and secure victories. I’m dedicated to playing my role and will continue efforts to elect Democrats across the ballot.”
Although Crockett left a voice message for Talarico, she did not pledge to campaign on his behalf during the general election.
According to The Times, Crockett mentioned she would not “make plans for other people’s campaigns.”
At her campaign watch party Tuesday, Crockett claimed â without evidence â that Republicans had been trying to steal the election from her through changes to polling locations.
âUnfortunately, this is what Republicans like to do, and so they specifically targeted Dallas County, and I think we all know why,â she said.
“If one person has the right to vote, and they werenât allowed to cast their vote, we should all be standing together. Democrats, Republicans, and we should all be raising hell,” Crockett also said. “We cannot allow this type of behavior to be rewarded, because so long as they know that they can win, even if it means cheating, then they will continue to do it.”
The Texas Democrat then departed her own watch party, suggesting results wouldn’t be finalized that evening.
âPeople will not turn out because of whatâs happened, in my opinion, especially if no one fights for their votes to be counted,â she also later told The New York Times.
With more than 95% of ballots counted as of Wednesday, Talarico won 52.4% of all votes, compared with Crockett’s 46.2% after the Associated Press called the race â meaning her margin of defeat was likely too large to overcome even given smoother voting in Dallas County, her home district.
The Texas Supreme Court ordered a lower court Tuesday night to issue provisional ballots after polls closed at 7 p.m. CT to account for delays and other issues.
Harris endorsed Crockett in the Democratic primary race in late February, but flipped her support to Talarico following his victory early Wednesday.
The ex-vice president has only endorsed one other Democratic candidate since leaving office, Dan Koh, who is running to replace a seat left vacant by Rep. Seth Moulton in Massachusetts.
Republicans will head back to the polls on May 26 to decide whether Cornyn or Paxton will be their standard-bearer in November.
Neither the sitting Republican senator nor the Texas AG won a majority of the Republican primary vote on Tuesday â though Cornyn secured a 41.9% plurality and Paxton was close behind with 40.7%.
