And just like that, Texas Democrats have a civil war on their hands.
After James Talarico’s surprise six-point win over Jasmine Crockett in the US Senate primary, Democrats began talking – again – about turning Texas blue. Instead, the resentment over Talarico’s victory has metastasized into a full-blown feud that will erupt at the convention and beyond. Neither Crockett nor 2024 Senate nominee Colin Allred wants to let bygones be bygones. The Dallas Morning News reported on this late last week, and pointedly noted the stakes involved in this split:
U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett of Dallas, who lost a hard-fought Senate primary to Talarico in March, told The Dallas Morning News she does not plan to attend the state convention and instead is focusing on helping down-ballot candidates across the country.
Crockett also said she’s not sure whether Democrats, particularly Black voters, have united fully behind Talarico and the rest of the ticket. She said the lack of a Black nominee for major statewide office could dampen enthusiasm among some voters. …
Crockett and many of her supporters were disappointed by the narrative advanced by some of Talarico’s supporters that Crockett, an outspoken Black woman, could not win statewide office in Texas. She had hoped to become the first Black woman nominated for U.S. Senate in the state’s history.
Crockett isn’t alone in discouraging unity after the primary. Allred, who lost badly to Ted Cruz two years ago, won’t show up at the convention or for Talarico either:
Also missing from the convention lineup is former U.S. Rep. Colin Allred of Dallas, the 2024 Senate nominee and now the party’s candidate for Texas’ 33rd Congressional District.
Allred was not invited to the convention. During the primary, he accused Talarico of referring to him as a “mediocre Black man,” a racially charged remark that Talarico said was mischaracterized.
Scudder, the party chairman, said “We did not invite every member of Congress and every congressional candidate to speak at our convention.”
Both Allred and Crockett appear determined to make race a part of this conversation. Talarico had tried to smooth this over in February, but apparently to no avail:
“Got some steam coming out of my ears, too,” Allred said. “I understand that James Talarico had the temerity and the audacity to say to a Black woman that he had signed up to run against a mediocre Black man – meaning me – not a formidable, intelligent Black woman, meaning Jasmine Crockett.”
Late Monday, Talarico issued a statement, saying: “This is a mischaracterization of a private conversation. In my praise of Congresswoman Crockett, I described Congressman Allred’s method of campaigning as mediocre – but his life and service are not. I would never attack him on the basis of race.”
Allred dropped out of the Senate race after Crockett entered the field and opted instead to run for Congress in the newly drawn 33rd congressional district. Talarico apparently told supporters that Crockett’s decision threw him for a bit, as he had chosen to compete based on Allred’s candidacy and his “mediocre” performance in 2024. Or at least that’s what Talarico says now, but Allred has a much different interpretation:
“We’ve seen that play before,” Allred said. ‘We’re sick and tired of it. We’re tired of folks using praise for Black women to mask criticism for Black men.”
Allred suggested the “mediocre” comment could reflect internal insecurity on Talarico’s part.
“Because I know you’re not talking about somebody who’s been better at three things than you’ve ever been at one,” said Allred, a former NFL linebacker and civil rights attorney who worked in the Obama administration.
All of this played out in February, but now it’s still playing in June. For some reason, the convention organizers didn’t ask Allred to speak, even though he’s running for a seat in Congress and has a high profile in the state party. That omission does not appear coincidental, and it is clearly creating a rift that could threaten enthusiasm among black voters in Texas.
That brings us to now, where the feud only seems to be getting hotter. Crockett did a live-stream post on Saturday in which she all but precluded any campaign support for Talarico, before or after the convention:
Also, @JasmineForUS went live this past weekend to expound more on the U.S. Senate race. Some highlights:
“I am not currently running for US Senate, and therefore you will not see me on the trail as if I am running for US Senate.”
“Read my lips: my priority is going to be…
— Lauren McGaughy (@lmcgaughy) June 23, 2026
“I am not currently running for US Senate, and therefore you will not see me on the trail as if I am running for US Senate.”
“Read my lips: my priority is going to be down-ballot races.”
“No one can tell me how and what my support looks like.”
“I am only working on primaries, only, only, only, only, only, only, only, and I have not paid attention to any general elections or made any decisions about what exactly my work will look like for any general election anywhere.”
Crockett has plenty of time to change her mind, as the general election is still four months away. However, it’s been nearly four months since she lost the primary, and Crockett clearly hasn’t mellowed out over the loss yet. The lack of invitation to either Crockett or Allred is nothing short of political malpractice by the state party, particularly with Allred, who again is running for a high-profile office. Now they’re rolling into their state convention with a nasty feud erupting between two of the highest-profile black politicians in the state and their weird nominee that makes Beto O’Rourke look like Alpha O’Rourke by comparison. Voters chose Talarico, but party leaders chose to ignore the aftermath.
Editor’s Note: The 2026 Midterms will determine the fate of President Trump’s America First agenda. Republicans must maintain control of both chambers of Congress.
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