Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-Texas) scored a proxy win in Tuesday’s Texas primary runoffs over state Rep. James Talarico, who beat her out in the initial Democratic race for Senate.
Former Rep. Colin Allred (D-Texas), endorsed by Crockett, won Tuesday’s runoff for a Dallas-area House seat — besting Rep. Julie Johnson (D-Texas), who was supported by Talarico.
The race put a spotlight on complicated dynamics among Texas Democrats as the party grapples with mid-decade redistricting ahead of the high-stakes midterms.
Johnson succeeded Allred in the 32nd Congressional District last cycle after the former lawmaker vacated his seat to run unsuccessfully against Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) in 2024. He then launched a 2026 Senate bid against Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) but dropped out to try for the House as Crockett launched her own Senate campaign.
The political musical chairs came as Texas Republicans advanced new congressional maps that dramatically reshaped key Democratic districts to give the GOP several new pickup opportunities, teeing up awkward match-ups like the one between Allred and Johnson.
Talarico defeated Crockett outright for the Democratic Senate nod in the March 3 primary, while Allred and Johnson advanced to a May runoff for the open House seat, which is now in the state’s 33rd Congressional District.
House Democratic leadership, including House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (N.Y.) and Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee Chair Rep. Suzan DelBene (Wash.), backed Johnson, but the Crockett-favored Allred emerged from the Tuesday contest.
Crockett also scored a win in the 18th Congressional District, where her endorsee Rep. Christian Menefee (D-Texas) defeated fellow Democratic Rep. Al Green in another tough match-up that was forced by redistricting. Talarico did not weigh in on that race.
Allred and Menefee are both now favored to win their November general election races for the seats, which lean heavily toward Democrats.
The wins for Crockett’s picks are a sign of her enduring political presence in the state after her loss to Talarico assured the end of her House tenure for now.