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“She’s a leader in this country, and she deserves the utmost respect,” Talarico, the Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate in Texas, said at a town hall in Houston.
James Talarico, the Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate in Texas, is speaking out against his supporters who have continuously disparaged his former opponent in the race, U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett.
“If you claim to be my supporter, if you claim to be a part of this movement that we are building, please keep Congresswoman Crockett’s name out of your mouth,” Talarico demanded on Sunday during a town hall in Houston.
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The remarks were significant as the residue of Talarico and Crockett’s primary contest had continued to stain the Democratic nominee’s campaign as he worked to win over Black voters, most of whom backed Crockett. Talarico was joined by U.S. Rep. Christian Menefee, who represents Texas’s 18th Congressional District, and other Democratic leaders in Houston, an area that Crockett won over Talarico.
For months, both during and after the primary election, Crockett and her supporters have called out the racism and sexism she faced from those who claimed to support Talarico’s campaign. However, Talarico said on Sunday that anyone who backs him should give Crockett the respect she deserves and has earned.
“She’s a leader in this country, and she deserves the utmost respect,” said Talarico, who described Crockett as a “friend” with whom he worked when they served together in the Texas State House of Representatives.
The Texas state representative also praised Crockett for immediately endorsing him and the entire Democratic ticket shortly after she lost her March 3 primary.
“Do you know how difficult that is? If I had not been successful, I don’t think I would have been ready the morning of to turn around with an endorsement of the whole ticket. That is because the congresswoman puts all of us ahead of herself,” he told the room of mostly Black residents. He added, “She always has, and that deserves our praise, not our criticism.”
Crockett had faced criticism for not actively campaigning for or with Talarico since conceding the primary contest, despite immediately calling on Texas Democratic voters to rally behind him. More specifically, some called out the U.S. congresswoman after she declined to attend the Texas Democratic State Convention. Crockett said she was instead focused on supporting down-ballot candidates to strengthen the overall Democratic ticket in November.
Talarico on Sunday defended Crockett’s strategy, telling the audience, “She doesn’t need to be doing any of this, but she is recruiting, supporting, fundraising for down-ballot candidates all over this state, all over this country, and that is how we’re going to win.”
He continued, “If the congresswoman can turn some of her star power onto these races that don’t get enough attention, that’s a game changer.”
Ultimately, Talarico said winning the U.S. Senate seat in Texas, which has not been won by a Democrat since 1988, is his job and no one else’s.
“It is not the congresswoman’s job to win this Senate seat. That is my job. I am the Democratic nominee,” he said. “The congresswoman has been incredibly helpful. She’s done more than she needed to do, and so I am demanding that anyone who claims to be a supporter of mine anywhere treat the congresswoman with the respect that she has earned.”
Since winning the Democratic nomination for U.S. Senate, Talarico has been working to make inroads with Black voters, including campaigning with former President Barack Obama, visiting some of the state’s top HBCUs, and unveiling a policy plan to tackle maternal mortality, acknowledging the disproportionate number of Black women who are dying of childbirth or pregnancy complications.
However, Talarico has been challenged to do more to win the support of Black voters, some of whom argued he did not do enough outreach during the primary election. Democratic strategists note that Talarico cannot win in a traditionally red state like Texas without a sizable turnout of Black voters. Texas has the largest Black population of any state in the country, with more than 4 million African Americans living in the Lone Star State.
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