The latest polling in the Texas U.S. Senate Democratic primary shows Rep. Jasmine Crockett (Dallas) holding a commanding lead over Rep. James Talarico (Austin).
Even better for political drama, this race is shaping up as a proxy battle between Kamala Harris and Barack Obama.
The primary election is just days away, set for Tuesday, March 3.
A University of Texas at Tyler poll conducted February 13–22 among 1,117 registered voters and 959 likely voters shows Crockett leading with 55 percent support to Talarico’s 37 percent — well outside the poll’s 3.2-point margin of error.
In late January, a University of Houston poll showed Crockett up by eight points.
That said, polling in this Democratic primary has been all over the map.
One January poll had Talarico ahead by nine points. Another poll taken just last week put Talarico up by twelve.
So, who knows?
What is clear is that Harris is actively campaigning for Crockett through robocalls.
“Texas has the chance to send a fighter like Jasmine Crockett to the United States Senate,” Harris tells voters in Dallas. “Jasmine has the experience and record to hold Donald Trump and his billionaire cronies accountable.”
Harris ends the call with, “It’s time to turn Texas blue.”
On the other side, Obama previously gave Talarico a boost.
“Talarico also has fans in the upper echelons of the party,” reported the Texas Tribune. “Former President Barack Obama called Talarico ‘a really talented young man’ during a podcast interview in October — a clip that Talarico’s campaign has promoted more recently.”
There is little doubt that much of the Democratic establishment would prefer Talarico to win, believing he has the best chance of defeating the Republican nominee — who will likely be either incumbent Sen. John Cornyn or Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, who is leading in most GOP polls.
One of the clearest signs of establishment support came from late-night host Stephen Colbert, who openly promoted Talarico earlier this month.
On The Late Show, Colbert claimed CBS would not allow him to host Talarico due to network restrictions. In reality, CBS informed him of the FCC’s longstanding “equal time” rule, which would have required Colbert to also invite Crockett because of the closeness of the primary election.
Rather than host Crockett, Colbert posted his interview with Talarico on YouTube, claiming censorship. The publicity boosted Talarico’s profile, helped generate millions in campaign donations, and allowed Colbert to present himself as a victim — despite the show reportedly costing CBS roughly $40 million per year in losses.
With Harris backing Crockett and Obama linked to Talarico, the Texas Democratic primary is no longer just a Senate race — it has turned into a high-profile clash of political factions, with national figures fighting for influence over the party’s future.
