DALLAS, Texas — Democratic U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett officially launched her campaign for the United States Senate with a fiery, deeply personal speech that framed the 2026 Texas race as an existential moment for the state, directly challenging the long-held belief that Democrats cannot win statewide in Texas.
“Yes, it is true. I am running to become your next United States Senator from the state of Texas,” Crockett declared to a crowd of supporters. “What we need is for me to have a bigger voice.”
Her announcement comes after months of speculation fueled by polling that showed Crockett leading the Democratic primary field — even before she formally entered the race.
A Republican-commissioned survey conducted earlier this year found Crockett with 35% support among likely Democratic primary voters, compared to 20% for Rep. Colin Allred, 13% for Beto O’Rourke, 13% for Rep. Joaquin Castro, and 18% undecided. The poll surveyed 566 likely voters between July 4–7 and was conducted by the National Republican Senatorial Committee.
Crockett acknowledged the steep history facing any Democrat seeking statewide office in Texas.
“The last time Texas elected a Democrat to the United States Senate, I was seven years old,” she said.
Texas has not elected a Democratic U.S. senator since Lloyd Bentsen in 1988. Republicans currently hold a narrow 53–47 majority in the U.S. Senate, making the Texas race a potential national bellwether.
“They tell us that Texas is red. They are lying,” Crockett said. “If we were so red, they wouldn’t be so pressed.”
From public defender to national spotlight
Crockett grounded her candidacy in her personal legal journey, describing her early career during the Great Recession and her decision to leave private practice to serve as a public defender in rural East Texas.
“I joined it because I believed everybody deserved a voice in the courtroom,” she said. “Even if they couldn’t afford an attorney, one would be provided to them — and that attorney was me.”
She later became the youngest Black Democratic Party chair in Texas history in Bowie County, before winning seats in the Texas House and later the U.S. Congress. In Washington, Crockett has emerged as one of the most visible Democratic voices pushing back against Republican leadership, with her sharp exchanges during House Oversight Committee hearings frequently going viral across social media.
“A single grain of rice can tip the scales”
Crockett recounted her first run for state office, a race where she was outspent five-to-one and initially trailed on election night.
“When the votes were counted, I had won by 90 votes,” she said. “Votes out of 10,000 votes that were cast.”
Those votes, she explained, came from church members, seniors, home health care workers, first-time voters, and unhoused Texans.
“The only place that equalizes us is at the ballot box,” Crockett said. “A single grain of rice can tip the scales. Every single vote counts.”
She tied that lesson to national policy, reminding the crowd that “it was a single vote in the United States Senate that saved the Affordable Care Act.”
Taking aim at Cornyn and Trump
Crockett directly targeted both Republican Sen. John Cornyn, who has held elected office for more than four decades, and President Donald Trump — connecting their leadership to rising economic pressure on working Texans.
“I’m done with politics as usual,” she said. “I’m done watching rural hospitals and public schools close their doors. I’m done watching parents be afraid to send their kids to school or the mall or the movies because Republicans have flooded our streets with guns.”
She accused Trump of undermining working families through tariffs, entitlement threats, and tax policies favoring billionaires.
“I’m done watching the American dream on life support while Trump tries to pull the plug,” she said.
Turning to Cornyn’s tenure, she added: “You’re the only one in Texas who gets four checks to do one job.”
“John, I kept telling you, you had a 1% problem,” Crockett said, accusing him of putting billionaire interests ahead of working Texans.
Cornyn currently faces a competitive Republican primary against Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton. Paxton’s race was recently shaken by a public announcement from his wife, State Sen. Angela Paxton, who said she was filing for divorce on “biblical grounds.”
A platform centered on affordability
Crockett laid out a policy vision built around cost-of-living relief, housing access, healthcare, and energy affordability.
“My whole platform is rooted in my belief that life should be more affordable for those who make America run,” she said.
She argued that increasing housing supply, expanding health coverage, and investing in clean energy would directly reduce household expenses.
“When we build more housing, the rents and mortgages come down,” she said. “Child Care has become a second rent.”
A multiracial, multigenerational coalition
Crockett emphasized the demographic reality of modern Texas and the coalition she believes can flip the state.
“This campaign is about winning with a strong, multiracial, multi-generational coalition of people that is reflective of this great state,” she said. “By the way, 61% people of color.”
She warned that Republican strategy would rely on division.
“They are experts in the politics of division,” she said.
She also addressed the narratives surrounding her identity.
“Tune out those intrusive voices that say she can’t win because she’s black, because she’s a woman, or because she’s a Democrat,” she told supporters.
“As a candidate who is constantly attacked and seen as a threat, it’s because I am,” Crockett added. “I’m a threat to the system that’s been holding us back from our full potential.”
Redistricting, resistance, and national scrutiny
Crockett accused Trump of manipulating election maps mid-cycle — a move that altered her own congressional district and stripped representation from nearly half a million constituents.
“Trump, I know you’re watching,” she said. “You’re not entitled to a damn thing in Texas.”
“Well, I’m here to tell you Donald Trump, you won’t get rid of me that easily,” she added.
A leadership challenge within her own party
While Crockett has built a loyal following among progressive voters, she has also faced resistance within Democratic leadership. Last month, she withdrew from a bid for Democratic leadership on the House Oversight Committee after colleagues declined to back her.
“It was clear by the numbers that my style of leadership is not exactly what they were looking for,” Crockett told reporters at the time.
Despite that setback, she has continued to publicly challenge the Trump administration on disaster response, economic policy, and civil rights. After deadly flooding in Kerr County killed more than 100 people, including dozens of children at a summer camp, Crockett criticized federal staffing cuts affecting emergency and weather response.
“Now or never”
Crockett framed the election as a defining national moment.
“This moment we’re in now is life or death,” she said. “It’s all or nothing. It’s now or never.”
She warned of a future where social safety nets, voting rights, and personal freedoms erode — and contrasted that with what she called a third path forward.
“There is a third path,” Crockett said, “a path where we move forward as one.”
She closed with a challenge to both Texas and the nation.
“Don’t take Texas for granted, and don’t count us out,” she said. “It’s our time. We are one. God bless Texas and let freedom ring.”