Crockett, a second-term congresswoman, has skyrocketed to fame through viral spats with Republicans, becoming one of her party’s most prolific fundraisers.
U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett, D-Dallas, on Monday filed to run for U.S. Senate, scrambling the Democratic field after teasing her potential entry for months.
Crockett, a second-term congresswoman, has skyrocketed to fame through viral spats with Republicans and as a frequent presence in the Democratic media ecosystem. The 44-year-old’s fiery clashes with Republicans have earned her legions of social media followers and donors, turning her into one of the party’s most prolific fundraisers even as she has been passed up for multiple House leadership roles.
“There are a lot of people that said, you’ve got to stay in the House — we need our voice, we need you there,” Crockett said at a Monday campaign launch event in Dallas. “And I understand. But what we need is for me to have a bigger voice. What we need is not only a voice, but we need to make sure that we are going to stop all the hell that is raining down on all of our people.”
Crockett is joining a field that already includes Austin state Rep. James Talarico, also known as a strong communicator and for his progressive brand of Christianity. But her path was made easier by fellow Dallasite Colin Allred’s decision to exit the Senate race, which he announced early Monday morning. Both Allred, the 2024 Democratic nominee, and Talarico had been running for months, with Allred launching his campaign in July, followed by Talarico in September. The primary is March 3.
But as Crockett began to move closer to a bid, she called both Allred and Talarico to discuss her internal polling of the race, and the prospect of forming a slate. That did not pan out; a similar effort to divide up the marquee statewide offices over the summer also failed, with too many candidates drawn to the Senate race over other contests such as governor and attorney general.
Crockett formally announced her Senate campaign at an event late Monday afternoon, where she was introduced by a succession of local officials and other supporters, including a rapper who performed a verse about her.
More than 200 people, including some Dallas-area elected officials and candidates, sat or stood in a roomy gymnasium situated in Crockett’s southern Dallas district, a predominantly Black and Hispanic part of the state’s third-largest city.
Despite joining the field late, Crockett poses a clear threat to Talarico, having outperformed him in public polling of the Democratic electorate this fall. She had $4.6 million in cash on hand at last count
In a statement, Talarico welcomed Crockett to the race while insisting that his campaign remained well-positioned to win.
“We’re building a movement in Texas — fueled by record-breaking grassroots fundraising and 10,000 volunteers who are putting in the work to defeat the billionaire mega-donors and puppet politicians who have taken over our state,” Talarico said. “Our movement is rooted in unity over division — so we welcome Congresswoman Crockett into this race.”
Crockett had discussed the possibility of a Senate bid in recent weeks, especially after Republicans’ mid-decade redistricting changed the contours of her Dallas-based district. In an October interview on SiriusXM, she said she was testing whether her candidacy could expand the Texas electorate by incentivizing infrequent voters to turn out.
In a November interview with Politico, Crockett said she would only run for Senate if the data from her internal campaign polling showed that she could win a general election.
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Photo Credit: U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett, D-Dallas, announces her candidacy for U.S. Senate at the Frederick Douglass Human Services And Justice Center in Dallas on Dec. 8, 2025. Shelby Tauber for The Texas Tribune
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