When Texas Republicans in the Legislature unveiled their proposed congressional map in July, the dilemma for North Texas Democrats was evident: there were three of them, and only two seats that remained within reach.
U.S. Reps. Jasmine Crockett, Julie Johnson and Marc Veasey currently serve three heavily Democratic districts in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex. But all three saw their seats overhauled, with Johnson’s turned into a safely Republican district that stretches into East Texas, and Veasey’s hometown and political base of Fort Worth removed altogether from his district.
As it turned out, Crockett and Veasey both decided to leave the House. On Monday, the last day for candidates to file for the 2026 ballot, Crockett announced she was running for Senate, while Veasey entered the race for Tarrant County judge.
But Johnson, the only remaining incumbent, still ended up with a tough primary race.
Rather than having to take on Crockett or Veasey, Johnson is facing a primary with her predecessor — former U.S. Rep. Colin Allred. Allred, a Democrat who represented the Dallas-based 32nd Congressional District for three terms before losing the 2024 Senate race, had been running for Senate again this cycle. He dropped out Monday and pivoted to the 33rd Congressional District — where Johnson had already announced her intent to run — in anticipation of Crockett’s entry to the Senate race.
Already a relatively rare phenomenon, the predecessor vs. successor primary set off by Allred’s candidacy takes on additional novelty given that the two candidates are vying for a new district that includes unfamiliar turf for both. It also carries the potential to unfold into a prickly race: Johnson had endorsed Allred’s opponent in the Senate primary before he dropped out, and Allred did not call Johnson before he announced he was running against her.
The two will be battling for the 33rd Congressional District, which is currently represented by Veasey yet bears little resemblance to the district’s existing lines. The new boundaries contain about a third of the residents from the old 32nd District that both Allred and Johnson have represented. As a whole, the new 33rd District contains about half the residents of Dallas, including downtown; it also stretches from Grand Prairie to Reinhardt and includes parts of Oak Cliff. Its eligible voting population is racially diverse — about 38% Hispanic, 35% white and 20% Black.
North Texas Democrats blame Republican redistricting for kicking off the series of decisions that led to the primary. But Crockett’s last-minute decision to run for Senate — which she announced on the filing deadline — meant there was little time for candidates to resolve issues behind the scenes.
In the week leading up to her announcement, Crockett discussed the race with Allred and the other main Democratic contender, state Rep. James Talarico of Austin. During those talks, according to a person familiar with the conversation, Crockett asked Allred to run for governor — a race that already has drawn a handful of Democrats, including Crockett’s former legislative colleague, state Rep. Gina Hinojosa of Austin.
The conversations had a cascading effect in the days and hours leading up to Monday’s filing deadline. Johnson had filed to run in Texas’ 33rd District on Friday. Allred announced his decision to run in that district Monday morning. Crockett filed for Senate Monday afternoon, followed in short order by Frederick Haynes III, her pastor, filing to run for her old seat, Texas’ 30th Congressional District. Shortly before the 6 p.m. deadline, Veasey filed for Tarrant County judge.
Crockett’s decision to run for Senate — and the way she handled the move, leaving fellow Democrats in suspense until hours before the deadline — left many in the party feeling frustrated, a Texas Democratic staffer, granted anonymity to speak candidly, said.
Though only a few days old, the Congressional District 33 primary has already grown contentious. Equality PAC, which works to elect LGBTQ+ candidates and which includes Johnson on its board, issued a warning shot to Allred Sunday night.
“At a time when Trump and the GOP target the #LGBTQ community, the last thing a Democrat should do is try to unseat the first openly LGBTQ Member of Congress from Texas,” the group wrote. “Unconscionable.”
Johnson also quickly went on offense. Without using Allred’s name, she issued a statement saying, “This new district deserves representation that has been present in the tough moments, including throughout the redistricting fight, instead of parachuting back when another campaign doesn’t work out.”
And she consolidated early support from political groups such as the NewDem Action Fund, which supports center-left Democrats in Congress who are part of the House’s New Democrat Coalition. Johnson is a member of the caucus; Allred was as well when he served in the House. She also received an endorsement from the political action committee Elect Democratic Women, which issued a statement that said Congress should not be a body that “treats women as interchangeable or expendable.”
“I think the thing that’s been really great is just the overwhelming support that I’ve had from the membership here,” Johnson said in an interview. “I’ve earned the trust and confidence in a lot of folks here, and they have chosen to endorse me swiftly and quickly.”
Allred, meanwhile, has released a series of endorsements from local elected officials, including Dallas County Commissioner John Wiley Price, state Rep. Rhetta Bowers, D-Rowlett, and state Rep. Aicha Davis, D-DeSoto. He enters the race with a significant financial edge over Johnson, having reported a cash-on-hand balance of about $1.8million at the end of September, compared to Johnson’s roughly $807,000 at the same point.
In interviews this week, Allred has reiterated his connection to the district and kept the focus on his decision to leave the Senate race, rather than the primary against Johnson.
“I felt a responsibility to those folks to try and make sure that we have a unified party going into November, and that I could best serve by looking at serving my hometown and the place where I was born and raised, at a time when we’re losing voices and we need even stronger voices and to have our best players on the field,” Allred said in an interview with MeidasTouch.
Despite their shared history representing the 32nd District, Allred and Johnson had found themselves on opposing sides of the Senate primary before he dropped out. Johnson endorsed Talarico earlier this year — the only member of the Texas delegation to do so — and she did not call Allred to inform him of that decision, according to a person familiar with the campaign. Similarly, Johnson said that Allred did not notify her of his intent to run for the 33rd District.
Allred endorsed Johnson to be his successor in 2024, but only after she had won the Democratic primary and her election was all but assured.
Source: Gabby Birenbaum, The Texas Tribune
Photo Credit: Colin Allred and Julie Johnson will face off in the Democratic primary for the Dallas-area 33rd Congressional District. The seat overlaps with part of the 32nd Congressional District, which Johnson currently represents; Allred previously held the seat before his unsuccessful 2024 run against U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz. Johnathan Johnson and Ronaldo Bolaños for The Texas Tribune
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