{"id":2574020,"date":"2026-02-26T14:53:00","date_gmt":"2026-02-26T19:53:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/new-texas-poll-is-out-and-stephen-colbert-and-democratic-establishment-wont-be-happy-with-it\/"},"modified":"2026-02-26T14:56:05","modified_gmt":"2026-02-26T19:56:05","slug":"new-texas-poll-is-out-and-stephen-colbert-and-democratic-establishment-wont-be-happy-with-it","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/new-texas-poll-is-out-and-stephen-colbert-and-democratic-establishment-wont-be-happy-with-it\/","title":{"rendered":"New Texas Poll Is Out, and Stephen Colbert and Democratic Establishment Won&#8217;t Be Happy With It"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">32<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fnew-texas-poll-is-out-and-stephen-colbert-and-democratic-establishment-wont-be-happy-with-it%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2574020&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>This piece discusses the Texas Senate Democratic primary between Jasmine Crockett and James Talarico. It notes crockett\u2019s lead in The Hill\u2019s latest reporting (about 56% to 44% for Crockett) despite ample establishment support for Talarico. A University of Texas at austin\/Texas Politics Project poll conducted Feb. 2\u201316 with 1,300 voters found the race still competitive as <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/voters-set-to-pick-who-will-lead-new-york-citys-economic-recovery-fight-against-rising-crime-and-more\/\" title=\"Voters Set To Pick Who Will ... New York City\u2019s Economic Recovery, Fight Against Rising Crime And More\">early voting began<\/a>, with a 5.1-point margin of error and some oversampling of verified primary voters.The article links Crockett\u2019s standing to recent political dynamics, including a controversial media flap involving a Colbert interview that boosted Talarico\u2019s visibility, and emphasizes how expensive and unsettled the race has become (<a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >roughly 0 million spent<\/a> overall). On the GOP side, Ken Paxton remains a frontrunner in polls but carries character concerns, with other Republicans like Cornyn and Wesley Hunt also in the mix. The piece argues that, with three candidates, a runoff is highly likely unless someone passes 50%\u2014a scenario that could shape November outcomes, potentially affecting whether Paxton-era voters rally behind a Crockett-opponent ticket. It also <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/prominent-ex-obama-lawyer-signed-epstein-emails-with-xoxo-amid-vulgar-jokes\/\" title=\"Prominent Ex-Obama Lawyer Signed Epstein Emails with &#039;xoxo&#039; Amid Vulgar Jokes\">includes social-media commentary<\/a> and commentary on media coverage,using a tongue-in-cheek tone about the race\u2019s dynamics in Texas.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<section> \t\t\t\t<script>console.log(\"ad slot (AC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC2)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC3)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC4)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (REP_0)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (REP_1)\")<\/script><\/p>\n<p>Apparently, Texas Democrats haven&rsquo;t gotten the memo: This time, it&rsquo;s OK to vote for the privileged white cis hetero man.<\/p>\n<p>According to <a href=\"https:\/\/thehill.com\/homenews\/campaign\/5755382-jasmine-crockett-leads-texas-senate\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">The Hill<\/a>, even though the Democratic establishment has lined up behind state Rep. James Talarico, U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett still holds a massive lead in the latest poll in the Democratic nomination for Senate, 56 percent to 44 percent.<\/p>\n<p>The University of Texas at Austin\/Texas Politics Project <a href=\"https:\/\/texaspolitics.utexas.edu\/blog\/competition-remains-fierce-in-both-u-s-senate-primaries-in-texas-according-to-latest-ut-texas-politics-project-poll-2\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">poll<\/a> was conducted over a two-week period and wrapped up just as early voting was about to begin. It had a margin of error of 5.1 points among Democratic voters. While it was taken among &ldquo;1,300 self-declared, registered voters&rdquo; in the state, it did &ldquo;include an oversample of verified primary voters.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>The poll was taken from Feb. 2-16.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">Texas Senate Democratic Primary<\/p>\n<p>Jasmine Crockett: 56%<br \/> James Talarico: 44%<a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/TxPolProject?\">@TxPolProject<\/a> | 369 LV | 2\/2-14<a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/41eD23vlHa\">https:\/\/t.co\/41eD23vlHa<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/UUAHan2zAZ\">pic.twitter.com\/UUAHan2zAZ<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; InteractivePolls (@IAPolls2022) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/IAPolls2022\/status\/2026674293610864898?\">February 25, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p> <script type=\"text\/javascript\"> \t\t\tif ( getCookie( \"ff_subbed\" ) ) { \t\t\t\tdocument.getElementById(\"anyclipvideo\").remove() \t\t\t} else { \t\t\t\tdocument.addEventListener(\"DOMContentLoaded\", function() { \t\t\t\t\tfunction loadAnyclip() { \t\t\t\t\t\tconst container=document.getElementById(\"anyclipvideo\"); \t\t\t\t\t\tif (!container) return;  \t\t\t\t\t\tconst script=document.createElement(\"script\"); \t\t\t\t\t\tscript.src=\"https:\/\/player.anyclip.com\/anyclip-widget\/lre-widget\/prod\/v1\/src\/lre.js\"; \t\t\t\t\t\tscript.setAttribute(\"pubname\", \"westernjournalcom\"); \t\t\t\t\t\tscript.setAttribute(\"widgetname\", \"001w000001jULVcAAO_M12924\");  \t\t\t\t\t\t\/\/ append inside the container so player shows in correct spot \t\t\t\t\t\tcontainer.appendChild(script); \t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t\tfunction findPreviousParagraph(selector, x) { \t\t\t\t\t\tconst targetElement=document.querySelector(selector); \t\t\t\t\t\tif (!targetElement) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.warn(\"Target element not found.\"); \t\t\t\t\t\t\treturn null; \t\t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Get all <\/p>\n<p> elements in order as they appear in the document \t\t\t\t\t\tlet paragraphs=Array.from(document.querySelectorAll(\"p\"));  \t\t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Find the index of the last <\/p>\n<p> before the target element \t\t\t\t\t\tlet targetIndex=paragraphs.findIndex(p=> p.compareDocumentPosition(targetElement) & Node.DOCUMENT_POSITION_PRECEDING);  \t\t\t\t\t\tif (targetIndex===-1 || targetIndex <x) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.warn(\"Not enough paragraphs before the target element.\"); \t\t\t\t\t\t\treturn null; \t\t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\treturn paragraphs[targetIndex - x]; \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Set up IntersectionObserver \t\t\t\t\tfunction observeElement(element) { \t\t\t\t\t\tif (!element) return;  \t\t\t\t\t\tconst observer=new IntersectionObserver( \t\t\t\t\t\t\t(entries)=> { \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tentries.forEach(entry=> { \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tif (entry.isIntersecting) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.log(\"Paragraph is now visible:\", entry.target.textContent.trim()); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tloadAnyclip(); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tobserver.disconnect(); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t}, \t\t\t\t\t\t\t{ threshold: 0.5 } \/\/ Adjust threshold as needed \t\t\t\t\t\t);  \t\t\t\t\t\tobserver.observe(element); \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Find the 1st paragraph before #anyclipvideo and observe it \t\t\t\t\tlet paragraphToObserve=findPreviousParagraph(\"#anyclipvideo\", 2); \t\t\t\t\tobserveElement(paragraphToObserve); \t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t} \t\t<\/script> <\/p>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>Now, there are two caveats to this. The first is that the poll was wrapped up on the same day that the faux squabble between Stephen Colbert and CBS over his interview of Talarico took place, Feb. 16. This vaulted Talarico to the front of the voting consciousness, although it&rsquo;s worth noting that this race was already plenty expensive inside of Texas proper. (Early voting runs from Feb. 17-27, with the primary on March 3.)<\/p>\n<p>This fake scandal basically involved <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/hollywood-reporter-admits-network-hosts-end-political-interviews-platforming-critics-democrats\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Colbert pulling his interview<\/a> with Talarico after he was informed by CBS&rsquo;s legal staff that he would have to give Crockett equal time if she asked for it under the Federal Communications Commission&rsquo;s guidelines. Thus, he published the interview on YouTube, claiming to have circumvented the perfidious Trump administration.<\/p>\n<p>Of course, this was all a bunch of garbage; the person who stood to benefit the most from this was Crockett, not necessarily the GOP or anyone Donald Trump likes. It also gave left-wing media a chance to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/colbert-catastrophe-fec-urged-investigate-host-lies-censorship-raising-millions-crockett-opponent\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">slobber all over Talarico<\/a>.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">Talarico is now Leftwing Media&rsquo;s Texas Democrat Darling.<\/p>\n<p>A giddy Lawrence O&rsquo;Donnell had him on in the wake of the Colbert stunt to talk about how he might be the one to finally flip Texas blue.<\/p>\n<p>Sorry, Jasmine. You&rsquo;re out. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/zAfWDkmjHq\">https:\/\/t.co\/zAfWDkmjHq<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/zHe3OYRRtb\">pic.twitter.com\/zHe3OYRRtb<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Western Lensman (@WesternLensman) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/WesternLensman\/status\/2024164628423487611?\">February 18, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>The second caveat is that primaries are notoriously difficult to poll for, particularly in a red state that normally wouldn&rsquo;t go blue, except in a year where the Democrats might do unusually well.<\/p>\n<p>The problem with the first caveat is that this is already the most expensive Senate race in Texas history, and we&rsquo;re not past the primary stage yet: $110 million.<\/p>\n<p>While most of this spending has been on the Republican side &mdash; where incumbent <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/breaking-jasmine-crockett-officially-launches-senate-campaign-targets-republican-john-cornyns-seat\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Sen. John Cornyn, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, and U.S. Rep. Wesley Hunt<\/a> are vying for the nomination &mdash; there&rsquo;s been plenty spent making Talarico a brand. If he&rsquo;s failed to make an impression before Colbert put his thumbs on the scales, that&rsquo;s not for a lack of spending or air devoted to it, especially because of the <em>why<\/em> regarding the reason this seat is in play in the first place.<\/p>\n<p>Paxton has led throughout in polls, although by a thinner margin than Crockett leads (only two points up in this survey, well within the margin of error). He&rsquo;s seen as a more MAGA-friendly, less establishmentarian figure than Cornyn, who&rsquo;s been labeled (not without reason) a career Beltway insider.<\/p>\n<p>However, the problem with Paxton is that he has character issues that would negatively affect his electability, particularly in an off year; he&rsquo;s seen (again, not without reason) as playing loose with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/republican-ag-ken-paxton-flips-script-tried-impeach\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">public and private moral scruples<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Whether or not these issues <em>should be<\/em> issues is irrelevant. The fact is that they <em>are<\/em> &mdash; and trying to change perception at this late hour, after Paxton has been in state politics for almost all of the 21st century, is basically like trying to start your senior thesis the night before it&rsquo;s due.<\/p>\n<p>That being said, given the three-way race and the necessity of scoring over 50 percent, it&rsquo;s almost certain that this would go to a two-man run-off on May 26. Given that the Democrats are running a two-person race, for all intents and purposes, this almost certainly means one will get over 50 percent.<\/p>\n<p>If Crockett wins, Paxton-friendly voters will feel better about riding their candidate to victory in November. Heck, if Crockett wins, the GOP could run Snoopy and still escape with a victory. (You want to talk about intersectionality? Well, the Republicans were the <em>first party<\/em> to elect an animated beagle to a statewide position! His pronouns are woof\/arf.)<\/p>\n<p>And while the Colbert interview is mostly in our rear-view mirror at this point, the message it sent was pretty much summed up by this snarky response to the new poll:<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">&ldquo;Listen up guys: this time we need to vote for the white man, not the black lady.&rdquo; <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/CzcQ14u3N7\">pic.twitter.com\/CzcQ14u3N7<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; bird cheat (@birdcheat) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/birdcheat\/status\/2026700285926687188?\">February 25, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>In fact, I&rsquo;m halfway surprised that Obama hasn&rsquo;t basically said this in so many words.<\/p>\n<p>Putting Texas in play requires Talarico to win. Is he a centrist? No, but he&rsquo;s not Jasmine Crockett &mdash; who is loud, embarrassing, and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/worked-dems-line-behind-moronic-firebrand-republicans-picked-swing-senate-seat\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">in it for the self-aggrandizement<\/a>. Sure, she&rsquo;s more famous, but for a reason. This is one of the few Crockett clips that can be played in a family setting, for instance:<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">NEW: Rep. Jasmine Crockett suggests the United States needs illegal immigrants because &ldquo;we done picking cotton.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Crockett made the argument that the U.S. needs immigrants for farming while speaking at Grace Baptist Church in Connecticut.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;So I had to go around the country and&hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/DUEZ4PskEg\">pic.twitter.com\/DUEZ4PskEg<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/CollinRugg\/status\/1909389179290894645?\">April 7, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>At least Talarico can plausibly position himself as a template Democrat, unlike Crockett. There&rsquo;s a definite benefit to anonymity in this race: People know Crockett, the same way that they know Cornyn and Paxton. That means priced-in negatives. Talarico, fresh off of a faux controversy that Stephen Colbert &mdash; now as ever a primo tool of establishment Democrats &mdash; can do that.<\/p>\n<p>But if these numbers are accurate, even that won&rsquo;t erase a 12-point deficit in just a few days. Maybe they do need Obama to tell the woke DEI scolds that this time, they&rsquo;ve gotta hold their noses and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/dei-dead-jasmine-crocketts-texas-senate-run-seems-like-afterthought-following-colberts-james-talarico-stunt\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">vote for the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/nyt-ethicist-tells-reader-to-fight-racism-by-dating-black-women\/\" title=\"NYT Ethicist Tells Reader To Fight Racism By Dating Black Women\">straight white dude<\/a><\/a>.<\/p>\n<div style=\"position: relative;\">\n<div class=\"ff-fancy-header-container\"> \t\t\t \t<\/div>\n<div class=\"entry-submit-correction inner-content\">\n<div class=\"correction-form\">\n<form style=\"display: none;\">\n<div class=\"sc-name-field\"> \t\t\t\t\t\t<label>* Name<\/label> \t\t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"text\" name=\"name\" required> \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<div class=\"sc--field\"> \t\t\t\t\t\t<label>* <\/label> \t\t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"text\" name=\"\" required> \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p> \t\t\t\t\t<label>* Message<\/label> \t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t<textarea name=\"message\" required><\/textarea> \t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"required-message\" style=\"display: none; padding-bottom: 15px;\">* All fields are required.<\/div>\n<p> \t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"submit\" value=\"Submit\" onclick=\"event.preventDefault(); firefly_sc();\"> \t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"firefly-sc-confirm\" style=\"display: none;\">Success!<\/div>\n<\/p><\/form>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p> \t\t<script> \t\t\tfunction firefly_sc() { \t\t\t\tif( typeof window.captchaPublicKey==typeof undefined ){ \t\t\t\t\tconsole.error('window.captchaPublicKey is not defined'); \t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\tgrecaptcha.execute( window.captchaPublicKey, { action: 'submit_correction' } ).then( function( token ) { \t\t\t\t\tvar opts={ \t\t\t\t\t\taction:    'firefly_sc_submit', \t\t\t\t\t\tname:      document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"name\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\t:     document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\tmessage:   document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"message\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\tpost_id:   firefly_post_id, \t\t\t\t\t\tcap_token: token \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\tvar inputs=[ 'name', '', 'message' ];  \t\t\t\t\tfor( var i=0; i <inputs.length; i++ ) if( ! ( opts[inputs[i]]=document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"' + inputs[i] + '\"]' ).value ) ) { \t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .required-message' ).style.display='block'; \t\t\t\t\t\treturn; \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction input[type=\"submit\"]' ).style.display='none'; \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).src=firefly_loading_gif_url; \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).style.display='inline-block';  \t\t\t\t\tconsole.log( 'ma subbing' );  \t\t\t\t\tif( firefly_post_id ) opts['post_id']=firefly_post_id;  \t\t\t\t\t\/* Send the data using post with element id name and name2*\/ \t\t\t\t\tvar posting=jQuery.post( firefly_ajax_url, opts );  \t\t\t\t\t\/* Alerts the results *\/ \t\t\t\t\tposting.done( function( response ) { \t\t\t\t\t\tif( response.success ) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.log( response.data ); \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).style.display='none'; \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-confirm' ).style.display='block';  \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdataLayer.push( { 'event': 'submit-correction' } ); \t\t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t} \t\t<\/script> \t     \t\t\t\t\t\t     \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p style=\"border: 1px solid #f5f5f5; padding: 16px;\">Advertise with The Western Journal and reach millions of highly engaged readers, while supporting our work. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/advertise-us\/?wj_source=article\">Advertise Today<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><script>console.log(\"ad slot (BA1)\")<\/script> \t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"ff-fancy-header-container\"> \t\t\t \t<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Here\u2019s a concise paraphrase of the content you provided:<\/p>\n<p>&#8211; A University of Texas poll (UT Austin\/Texas Politics Project) conducted Feb. 2\u201316 with about 1,300 registered voters and a 5.1-point margin of error found Jasmine Crockett leading the Democratic Senate primary in Texas over James Talarico, 56% to 44%. The poll included an oversample of verified primary voters and was released as early voting was about to begin. The Democratic establishment had backed Talarico, but Crockett held the lead.<\/p>\n<p>&#8211; The piece argues, in a provocative way, that Texas voters are being urged to vote for a white male candidate in this race, despite Crockett\u2019s higher poll standing. It notes the timing coincided with a controversy surrounding Talarico involving a Stephen Colbert interview and CBS, which the author suggests boosted Talarico\u2019s prominence, though the race itself was already expensive and contentious.<\/p>\n<p>&#8211; It describes the overall campaign landscape as the most expensive Senate contest in Texas history (about $110 million raised\/spent so far), with most spending on the GOP side. Republicans included contenders like John Cornyn, Ken Paxton, and Wesley Hunt. Paxton led in GOP polls in this article\u2019s framing, but with a smaller margin than Crockett\u2019s lead over Talarico, and Paxton\u2019s personal\/ethics issues were noted as potentially harming electability in a non-presidential year.<\/p>\n<p>&#8211; The analysis discusses the difficulty of polling primaries in a red state where Democrats could perform unusually well in a given year. Because there are three major GOP players and at least one prominent Democrat, a two-person runoff on May 26 is considered likely if no candidate reaches a majority in a three-way GOP contest or in the general-leaning environment.<\/p>\n<p>&#8211; The piece contrasts Crockett and Talarico: Crockett is portrayed as more high-profile and outspoken, which could hurt or help her depending on the electorate; Talarico is framed as a more traditional template Democrat who could appeal to centrist voters. The author suggests that if Crockett wins the nomination, Republican voters might still coalesce for the general election, while if Talarico gains momentum, Crockett\u2019s visibility could become a liability in some quarters.<\/p>\n<p>&#8211; The author closes with a satirical, provocative suggestion that prominent political figures (e.g., Obama) might urge voters in Texas to overlook demographic preferences and vote for the candidate perceived as most likely to flip Texas blue, regardless of identity<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2574021,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Jasmine-Crockett-ahead.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[74665,69388,74666,74664,74663],"class_list":["post-2574020","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-democratic-establishment-2","tag-political-commentary-2","tag-poll-results-2","tag-stephen-colbert-2","tag-texas-polls"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Jasmine-Crockett-ahead.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2574020","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2574020"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2574020\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2574024,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2574020\/revisions\/2574024"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2574021"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2574020"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2574020"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2574020"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}