Texas Democratic primary fractures over race claims, ‘mediocre’ accusations

In Texas, inflamed racial rhetoric is erupting this primary season, as Democratic candidates turn to identity-focused messages that Republicans say are divisive and a clinic in “wokeness at its worst.”

Texas Democrats are heading into primary season with an intrapartisan fight that increasingly cuts across race and identity. Rep. Jasmine Crockett, a Senate candidate, suggested racism would be to blame if she lost, while former Rep. Colin Allred accused Crockett’s rival and Austin state Rep. James Talarico of calling him a “mediocre black man” in a political dispute affecting Senate and House races.

“These disgusting comments are a sign of awakening at fever pitch and the silence is deafening from Democrats,” RNC spokesman Zach Kraft said of recent speeches in Texas in recent months.

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Texas state Rep. James Talarico, D-Travis, and Rep. Jasmine Crockett, D-Texas, shake hands. (Bob Daemmrich/Getty Images)

Crockett, who is running for Senate to replace Republican Sen. John Cornyn, offered a fiery response.

“You think I didn’t know I was a black woman when I woke up and decided to run for the United States Senate? You think I didn’t consider and make sure we had enough space to explain that?”

Racially charged surges have erupted in recent weeks as Democrats eye high-profile races and try to energize blue voters in the red state.

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“Look no further than the Senate primaries to see how the woke-thinking virus has spread like wildfire among the ranks of Texas Democrats. James Talarico has spent the last week apologizing for his ‘white privilege,’ and Jasmine Crockett is taking a leaf from Kamala Harris’ playbook by preemptively blaming racism and sexism for why she’s going to lose,” Kraft told Fox News Digital.

This month, Texas Democratic State Rep. Gene Wu, the minority leader in the Texas House, drew backlash following a resurfaced excerpt from a 2024 interview in which he described white Americans as “oppressors” of “non-whites.”

“There’s a feeling that ‘America only belongs to white people,’ that a lot of people believe that God gave America to white people to rule, and that any time immigrants or minorities advance in this country, it’s seen as an affront to them,” Wu, of Houston, said in 2024 on the “Define American” podcast with Antonio Vargas.

Wu, born in Guangzhou, China, added that Latinos, Asians and Black Americans — “everyone” — remain divided because powerful forces have spent time and money to ensure they do not unite. Instead, he argued, these groups are pushed to view each other as rivals even though they share the same oppressor, and he asserted that oppression “comes from one place.”

“I always tell people that the day the Latino, African American, Asian and other communities realize that they share the same oppressor is the day we will start to win, because we are now the majority in this country,” he continued. “We have the ability to take over this country, do what’s necessary for everyone and make things fair.”

The clip drew swift condemnation from Texans when it circulated online, including from Republican Sen. Ted Cruz, declaring, “The Democratic Party is built on intolerance.”

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Gene Wu, chairman of the Texas House Democratic Caucus, attends a news conference following a House meeting August 18, 2025, in Austin, Texas. (Brandon Bell/Getty Images)

Allred recently told former DNC Chairman Jaime Harrison of South Carolina on his podcast that Talarico made another disparaging comment about him privately while the former Tennessee Titans linebacker was still a candidate in the Senate race.

Allred has since dropped out and is seeking a new 33rd Congressional District near Dallas. The Metroplex’s current 33rd District is represented by Democratic Rep. Marc Veasey.

“He said things to me that I don’t like. He told me before he got into the race that he thought he would be a better candidate because he didn’t have a family and could spend more time campaigning,” Allred said.

“As you know, Jaime, like I don’t know my dad, so I love being a dad to my two boys, right? I was like, no, no, no, I’m running because of my family.”

A TikTok influencer named Morgan Thompson initially claimed Allred made the comments of a “mediocre black man,” recounting the conversation at a Talarico rally in Plano.

“James Talarico told me he signed up to run against a mediocre black man, not a great, intelligent black woman,” Thompson said, adding that she now supports Crockett.

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Allred claimed Talarico said he would be “a better candidate because he doesn’t have family.” (MIGUEL J. RODRIGUEZ CARRILLO/AFP; Bob Daemmrich/The Texas Tribune/Bloomberg)

Talarico released a statement shortly after calling the situation a “misinterpretation of a private conversation” and said he was speaking about Allred’s “campaign method,” not his life.

“I would never attack him based on his race,” Talarico said. “As a Black man in America, Congressman Allred has had to work twice as hard to get where he is. I understand how my criticism of the Congressman’s campaign could be interpreted given this country’s painful legacy of racism, and I care deeply about the impact my words have on others,” Talarico said, according to the Texas Tribune.

Talarico recently announced that he raised $7.4 million in the first six weeks of the quarter while competing against Crockett.

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He did not respond to a request for comment. Crockett’s campaign also did not respond to a request left in his campaign inbox, which is separate from his official congressional office due to the Hatch Act.

Marc Tamasco of Fox News Digital contributed to this report.