Multiple black Democrats were reportedly unsurprised about Democratic Texas Rep. Jasmine Crockett’s six-point Senate primary loss on Tuesday.
Several of them are now criticizing Crockett’s failed Senate campaign for lacking focus and utilizing a media strategy that overly prioritized social media instead of investing in television advertisements, Politico reported on Thursday. The report comes after Texas State Rep. James Talarico bested Crockett in Texas’ Senate Democratic primary on Tuesday, securing 52.4% of the vote to Crockett’s 46.2%, per NBC News.
“People who don’t understand politics will be upset because Jasmine was their hero,” Democratic Texas state Rep. Jolanda Jones told Politico in an interview. “But for people who understand politics, [Crockett] literally had no ground game.”
“This L is on her,” Jones added.
In October 2025, Jones made headlines after telling CNN that her party should “wipe out” every Republican and “go across” their necks — just over a month after Charlie Kirk was assassinated by a gunshot wound to his neck.
Moreover, one anonymous black national Democratic operative told Politico that Crockett “ran a fucking terrible campaign that many will question if she’s running a campaign at all.”
Meanwhile, Stefanie Brown James, co-founder of the Collective PAC — an organization which claims its mission is “to build Black political power” — told the outlet “in many ways, she [Crockett] has been and has felt like a woman on an island.”
“Even though she has substance, not everybody likes her style,” James continued. “And I think that sometimes her style is one that is not appealing, especially to the old guard Democrats, whose fighting style is antiquated and outdated.”
A spokesperson for Crockett’s Senate campaign dismissed the critiques, telling Politico they were coming from “Monday morning quarterbacks.”
“This was the most expensive Democratic primary ever in Texas with the overwhelming majority of those dollars being spent on attacks against the Congresswoman,” Crockett’s former deputy campaign manager Karrol Rimal told Politico over text on Wednesday afternoon. “Despite being outspent, she held [her] own and excited an untapped base of support for Democrats with record numbers of first time primary voters. There was also the intentional voter suppression of voters in Dallas and Williamson counties.”
“That [cannot] be ignored,” Rimal added.
Houston-based political strategist and social media influencer Tayhlor Coleman told Politico she believes many Democrats want black women’s “labor,” but do not desire their “leadership.”
“A lot of black women who work in the Democratic Party, vote for Democrats, organize for Democrats, have always had a sense of this,” Coleman said. “It is a lot more apparent now: A lot of people in the Democratic Party want our labor, they do not want our leadership.”
Unlike Talarico, Crockett was hesitant to run TV ads until later in the Democratic primary campaign. Texas State Democratic Executive Committee member Jen Ramos made headlines after she suggested that the congresswoman eschewed “traditional” campaign methods such as large ad buys because they were “not designed for” her as a “candidate of color.”
Following her Senate primary defeat on Tuesday, Crockett wrote in a Wednesday morning X post that “Texas is primed to turn blue and we must remain united because this is bigger than any one person.”
“This is about the future of all 30 million Texans and getting America back on track,” she added. “With the primary behind us, Democrats must rally around our nominees and win. I’m committed to doing my part and will continue working to elect democrats up and down the ballot.”
Talarico emphasized during a victory speech on Wednesday night that he feels “grateful” for Crockett’s “voice” and “leadership,” the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reported.
“It was an honor to run this race with her,” he said. “To the congresswoman’s supporters: I know I wasn’t your first choice, but I hope to earn your trust and earn your support. As your Democratic nominee, it’s on me to ensure you feel welcomed in, represented by and proud of this campaign. Together we’re going to do something extraordinary.”
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