For decades, statewide Democratic primaries in Texas were low-octane affairs.
Then came the 2026 election cycle. In a year that Democrats see as a prime opportunity to finally flip Texas — amid flagging approval for the second Trump administration, a vicious Senate primary on the Republican side and the potential to face scandal-plagued Attorney General Ken Paxton in November — Texas Democrats are waging a dogfight primary in the contest for U.S. Senate.
For the first time this century, two Democratic heavyweights with national profiles — U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett of Dallas and state Rep. James Talarico of Austin — are battling for the party’s nomination, making for an intensely competitive race that has drawn massive attention, dollars and stakes, and cast the outcome of Tuesday’s election as a window into the potential future of the Democratic Party as it continues to grope its way out of the political doldrums of 2024.
