Potential opponents are responding to Jasmine Crockett's announcement she will run for U.S. Senate from Texas in 2026. The Democrat has represented the Texas 30th District in the U.S. House since 2023.
"I'm done watching the American Dream on life support while Trump tries to pull the plug," she says. "The gloves have been off, and now, I'm jumping in into the ring."
During a rally in Dallas Monday, Crockett adopted the slogan, "Texas tough." She told the crowd Republicans should not "count us out."
"I'm the only candidate in this race who has served on the federal level, taken on this administration and sought accountability," Crockett said. "I'm the only one who has gone toe-to-toe with Donald Trump."
She said she would fight to reduce housing costs, the cost of utilities and groceries.
No Democrat has won state-wide office in Texas since 1994; the last Democrat to serve in the U.S. Senate in Texas was Bob Krueger, who served for several months in 1993 after Lloyd Bentsen resigned to serve as Treasury Secretary during the Clinton Administration.
"Don't take Texas for granted, and don't count us out. It's our time," Crockett said Monday.
State Representative James Talarico had previously announced he would run for the Democratic nomination for U.S. Senate.
"We're building a movement in Texas--fueled by record-breaking grassroots fundraising and 10,000 volunteers who are putting in the work to defeat the billionaire mega-donors and puppet politicians who have taken over our state. Our movement is rooted in unity over division--so we welcome Congresswoman Crockett into this race," Talarico wrote in a statement.
Earlier Monday, Democrat Colin Allred ended his campaign for the nomination and said he would instead run for the U.S. House in the 33rd Congressional District.
The Democrats are running for the nomination to run against Republican John Cornyn, who is running for a fifth term.
"Jasmine Crockett does not represent the views of a majority of Texans," Cornyn wrote in a statement. "Her time in Congress has been marked by deeply unserious public statements, little to no actual work for her constituents and over-the-top rhetoric and childish insults. She is radical, theatrical and ineffective. As the GOP nominee for U.S. Senate, our campaign will make sure every Texas voter knows how absurd her candidacy is, and in the process provide up ballot support to down ballot Republicans, including the five new Congressional seats that President Trump has made a priority."
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton wrote on X, "Everyone knows Crockett will be soundly defeated."
"We're six months out from a runoff, and Cornyn's ALREADY stolen $40 million that should have gone to Georgia, NC, Michigan, etc. He wants to sacrifice the Majority by spending $100M on his losing primary race. Beyond selfish," Paxton wrote.
Congressman Wesley Hunt is also running for the Republican nomination.
"Twenty four years in Washington changed John Cornyn," he wrote on X. "He isn't running to represent Texas, he's running to protect the establishment that protects him."
Hunt also referenced Crockett's campaign.
"Welcome to the show, Jasmine Crockett," he wrote in another post. "The next Senator from Texas must be able to stand on their record, their resume, and their accomplishments."
Crockett has cited internal polling saying she could win a general election. A poll by Change Research released December 1 showed 16% of respondents had never heard of Crockett compared to 21% who had never heard of Colin Allred and 49% who had never heard of James Talarico.
While Crockett had the highest name recognition, she also had the lowest favorability rating among Democrats with 40% of respondents viewing her unfavorably compared to 28% for Allred and 9% for Talarico.
The full survey can be found at https://changeresearch.com/texas-senate-early-findings-2026/.