State Rep. James Talarico won a come-from-behind victory over Rep. Jasmine Crockett in Texas’ Democratic primary for U.S. Senate, according to The Associated Press, a victory operatives in both parties believe could lead to a competitive general election in the state this November.
Talarico’s victory in the first marquee Democratic primary of the cycle will provide a sense of relief for party leaders, who were both eager to put forth a candidate with a puncher’s chance in the state and fearful a Crockett victory could be the first sign of Democrats entering a tea party-esque era where voters prioritized partisan bomb-throwing over electability.
Crockett entered the primary on the last day possible, touting sky-high name recognition due to her status as a ubiquitous brawler on cable news and in the halls of Congress. But her campaign struggled to maintain momentum ― her failure to name a campaign manager baffled many in the party ― and Talarico managed to outspend her by a significant margin on television advertising.
Early returns showed Talarico performing strongly in rural and suburban areas, while also clearly defeating Crockett in Latino-heavy parts of the state. Crockett, meanwhile, was winning by huge margins among Black voters.
