Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-TX) is expected to launch a U.S. Senate campaign Monday, setting up a dramatic Democrat primary showdown in one of the most closely watched Senate races in the country.
The congresswoman is a rising progressive figure known for high-profile clashes with President Donald Trump and other top Republicans.
Crockett, who represents a Dallas-area district and has built a sizable national following, scheduled her announcement just 90 minutes before Texas’s filing deadline for the March 3 primary.
Hours before her planned event, former Rep. Colin Allred (D-TX) ended his Senate bid and announced he would run for his old House seat instead.
Allred dropping out has cleared the way for Crockett to enter the race as the presumptive Democrat frontrunner.
Democrat state Rep. James Talarico, however, remains in the primary, positioning the contest between two well-funded candidates with growing national profiles.
Crockett told CNN over the weekend that she had prepared two cashier’s checks, one to file for Senate, and one to file for re-election to the House.
She said she would decide at the last moment.
Crockett has spent weeks signaling a likely statewide run, telling MSNBC, “I am closer to yes than I am to no.”
She also commissioned polling to test her viability in a state where Democrats have not won a statewide race in more than 30 years.
Her team also confirmed she spoke with both Allred and Talarico about her polling, a further indication she intends to enter.
Texas Remap Reshapes the Landscape
The filing deadline follows last week’s Supreme Court ruling upholding Texas’s new congressional map, which creates five additional right-leaning House districts.
One of the Democrats impacted, Rep. Marc Veasey (D-TX), has reportedly discussed filing for Crockett’s current seat, but only after she files to run for Senate.
Allred Bows Out, Citing Democrat Unity
Allred, making his second Senate attempt after losing to Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) by nine points last year, said staying in the race risked fracturing Democrats.
“In the past few days, I’ve come to believe that a bruising Senate Democratic primary and runoff would prevent the Democratic Party from going into this critical election unified against the danger posed to our communities and our Constitution by Donald Trump and one of his Republican bootlickers Paxton, Cornyn, or Hunt,” Allred wrote.
His exit likely spares Democrats a costly and divisive spring runoff, allowing the party to consolidate early behind a nominee.
GOP Primary: Cornyn, Paxton, Hunt Head Toward a Possible Runoff
The Republican field is equally turbulent.
Incumbent Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX), Attorney General Ken Paxton, and Rep. Wesley Hunt (R-TX) are already attacking one another, and the GOP nomination could head to a runoff if no one clears 50%.
Republicans privately worry that Paxton, who has faced years of scandals, legal battles, and now a contentious divorce, could put the seat at risk in November.
Crockett Brings Star Power and Baggage
Crockett, 44, is a former state representative and civil rights attorney who won her House seat in 2022 after being handpicked by retiring Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-TX).
She has since become one of the most visible Democrat freshmen in Congress, frequently going viral for her combative exchanges with Republicans and online battles with Trump, who has repeatedly questioned her intelligence.
Her national profile has grown through fiery moments on the House Oversight Committee and high-profile commentary on social media.
She has also drawn controversy, including calling Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, who uses a wheelchair, “Governor Hot Wheels.”
Crockett has compared Trump to Adolf Hitler multiple times and accused Republicans of embracing fascism, contrasts likely to animate Democrats but potentially alienate the statewide electorate needed to flip a Senate seat in Texas.
She briefly ran to succeed the late Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-VA) as ranking member on the House Oversight Committee but withdrew after failing to secure leadership support.
Still, she maintains influential allies, including former Vice President Kamala Harris, who wrote in her memoir that she mentored Crockett through a covert “Stars Project.”
Republicans See an Opportunity
Crockett’s expected entry has already altered GOP strategy.
The National Republican Senatorial Committee paid for a Democrat primary poll this summer showing her with a double-digit lead, an unusual move widely interpreted as an effort to boost a candidate they believe is easier to beat in November.
Should she officially launch her campaign on Monday, Crockett will immediately reshape the dynamics of the Texas Senate race, shifting national attention from the GOP’s internal fight to a Democratic nominee whose polarizing style could become a defining issue next fall.
READ MORE – Jasmine Crockett: Backlash Over Democrat Texting Jeffrey Epstein Is Racist
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