James Talarico defeats Jasmine Crockett in Texas U.S. Senate primary

State Representative James Talarico of Austin defeated U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett of Dallas in the Democratic primary for U.S. Senate, with a Texas Secretary of State snapshot reported by Axios showing Talarico at 53% and Crockett at 45.7% as of 8:30 a.m. CST Wednesday, with 87% of polling locations reporting. The Associated Press projected Talarico the winner shortly before 2:00 a.m. Wednesday, after Decision Desk HQ and other outlets moved to call the contest in the early hours.

Talarico, 36, a former middle school teacher who first won his state House seat in 2018, ran a populist, faith-inflected campaign that sought to fuse progressive policy with unapologetic Christian rhetoric. He framed the primary as a fight against entrenched interests, telling supporters, "This is a people-powered movement to take on this broken, corrupt political system," Texas Tribune and Time reported. In Austin on election night he declared, "Tonight our campaign is shocking the nation," Axios reported, and shortly after midnight he added, "Tonight, the people of our state gave this country a little bit of hope, and a little bit of hope is a dangerous thing," according to Texas Tribune and Time.

Crockett, the Dallas congresswoman who announced her Senate bid at an event on Dec. 8, 2025, conceded Wednesday and "called on the party to unify behind him," Axios reported. The Austin American-Statesman said Crockett phoned Talarico to congratulate him after returns shifted. Crockett held watch-party events in downtown Dallas at Club Vivo on primary night, while Talarico gathered with supporters in South Austin, images filed by the Austin American-Statesman and photo agencies show.

Early returns painted a much tighter picture. Houston Public Media cited a nighttime snapshot with 70% of counties and 15% of polling locations reporting that showed Talarico at 49.7% and Crockett at 49.1%. That margin narrowed before later returns moved decisively toward Talarico and prompted national outlets to project a winner after midnight.

The contest drew national attention and heavy spending. Time cited AdImpact figures showing more than $125 million spent across the Democratic and Republican Senate contests in Texas this cycle, making it the most expensive primary season in the country. Talarico also benefited from a late surge of money and attention after a February appearance on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert that the campaign said produced a one-day fundraising windfall of $2.5 million. Time reported that Talarico and allied groups significantly outspent Crockett on advertising, aided by a well-funded super PAC that attracted large national donations, including from technology sector donors.

Axios characterized the outcome as setting up a "battle royal" for the fall general election that promises to be among the most expensive contests of the year and a central test of whether Democrats can translate national dynamics into a statewide victory in Texas. Texas Tribune called the primary the most hotly contested Democratic contest this century and noted the result elevates Talarico’s profile within the party as he heads into a general election that will draw intense national attention.