James Talarico bests Jasmine Crockett in Texas Senate primary
Texas state Senate Democrat James Talarico won the party’s primary against Jasmine Crockett, leading 53% to 45.7% with about 90% of votes counted. Talarico dominated Travis County (around 76%), while crockett led Dallas County (about 59% as Dallas votes were 71% counted). Crookedly, election irregularities were noted in Dallas and Williamson counties after county-wide polling locations were closed, with Crockett saying voters had been disenfranchised.
On the GOP side, John Cornyn and Ken Paxton advanced to a May 26 runoff after receiving 41.9% and 40.8%, respectively, with Wesley Hunt eliminated.President Trump did not endorse any candidate.
Talarico’s late surge was helped by a controversy over a canceled appearance on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert and an FCC equal-time rule issue; the interview clip later went viral online (about nine million views), boosting his fundraising to roughly $2.5 million and improving his poll numbers. Talarico, a former public school teacher and Presbyterian seminarian, led throughout election night, though crockett performed strongly in the Dallas and Houston regions.
James Talarico bests Jasmine Crockett in Texas Senate primary
State Sen. James Talarico (D-TX) has won the Democratic primary against Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-TX) in Texas’s Senate race.
With 90% of the vote counted, Talarico got 53% of the vote, compared to Crockett’s 45.7%, as of 5 a.m. Wednesday.
Talarico, a former public school teacher and Presbyterian seminarian, led throughout election night. During a speech to supporters ahead of the official call, he demanded every vote be counted, after reports of some voters being turned away from precincts.
“Tonight, our campaign is shocking the nation,” Talarico said Tuesday night. “We are still waiting for an official call, but we are confident in this movement we’ve built together. Every vote must be counted, every voice must be heard. The voter suppression in my home county and in Congresswoman Crockett’s home county underscores the gravity of this moment. This movement is about whether the people will hold the power in this state and in this country.”
He has not made a statement since the Associated Press made the official call around 2:30 a.m.
Crockett outperformed in areas around Dallas and Houston, but Talarico dominated in Travis County, which holds Houston and its over 200k voters. There, Talarico earned 76% of the Democratic vote.
However, both Crockett and Talarico acknowledged voting irregularities in Dallas and Williamson county. County-wide voting locations were closed, leaving only neighborhood sites open. The change was decided on by earlier in the year, but left many voters struggling on Election Day.
“I can tell you now that people have been disenfranchised,” Crockett said to a group of supporters Tuesday night. Crockett is from Dallas. With 71% of the votes counted in Dallas County Wednesday morning, Crocket won the region with 59% of the vote.
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Talarico saw a boost in the final weeks of the primary election, helped by an uproar after his appearance on the The Late Show with Stephen Colbert was canceled. The Federal Communications Commission told CBS that were the network to move forward with the interview on public broadcasting channels, it would be in violation of the equal-time rule, which demands public networks give equal air time to all candidates in a race.
The state Democrat seized on the controversy to claim that the Trump administration was silencing his campaign, and violating the First Amendment. The segment still aired online, and has garnered nine million views. Following the episode, Talarico raised $2.5 million and saw a boost in the polls.
As for the Republicans, Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) and Attorney General Ken Paxton are set for a run off on May 26. Rep. Wesley Hunt (R-TX) was knocked out of the primary, after receiving 13% of the vote. Cornyn got 41.9% and Paxton got 40.8%. President Donald Trump withheld an endorsement from any one candidate, citing that they’ve all supported him in the past.
Cornyn faced accusations of being an establishment Republican, since he’s been in Congress for 24 years.
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