Talarico Wins Texas Senate Primary as He Tries to Bridge-Build His Way to 30-Year Upset

State Rep. James Talarico (D) will be Democrats’ standard-bearer in November, as they attempt to take advantage of the unpopularity of President Trump and a potentially deeply flawed Republican opponent to achieve the impossible — finally, finally, turn Texas blue.

Talarico defeated Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D), a primary battle that quickly became overlaid with some of Democrats’ most pressing questions in the Trump era: Is it better to double down on your base or appeal to the fragile middle? Who is really eligible? Are social networks king?

The Associated Press made the call early Wednesday morning.

Little daylight separated Talarico from Crockett on these issues, even though their radically different styles — as well as their race and gender — sometimes put Talarico in the group of moderates and cast Crockett as a progressive.

Talarico, a seminarian, built his campaign on progressive Christianity; his plan for success in a Senate race where so many other Democrats have failed relies on extending a big welcoming tent to those who have been led astray by President Trump or by apathy. Crockett, a telegenic fighter who specialized in starring in social media-friendly clips, believed in increasing Democratic turnout, which she predicted would include voters who had not yet been enticed to vote.

For such a crucial race — Texas is one of the states Democrats will need to take control of the Senate — it was extremely difficult to predict in advance. The polls were all over the place, although some seemed to suggest a late Talarico surge.

A frenzied sense that Democrats could not afford to self-sabotage in the face of such an exceptional opportunity raised tensions in recent months, even as Talarico and Crockett were both careful to treat each other cordially and vowed to support the winner of the primary. A particularly painful episode erupted last month, when former Rep. Colin Allred (D-TX) went online to blast Talarico after an influencer claimed he called Allred a “mediocre black man.” Talarico said he was referring to Allred’s unsuccessful campaign against Sen. Ted Cruz (R) in 2024, not Allred himself.

The cobwebs of failed Democratic candidacies of yesteryear hung over the race, with vocal supporters of both convinced that their chosen candidate possessed the elusive key to a contest that has so tormented everyone. And the unseemly side of the electability debate — the self-fulfilling prophecy that Crockett’s race and gender would mean she would lose — continues to upset a party far more diverse than the Republican Party, which saw its two most high-profile female candidates lose to Trump.

However, despite deadly primaries, the Democrats enjoyed an advantage over their Republican counterparts: a clear winner and time to rally around him, while Republicans must expend their energy and money to compete in a three-month runoff.

Talarico will now have a first test for his open arms theory: how successfully he can attract Crockett’s heartbroken fans as he heads into the general election.