Texas Rep. Jasmine Crockett opted to blame Republicans for her loss to James Talarico in Tuesday’s Democratic Senate primary, even before the results were anywhere close to final.
Speaking to supporters on Tuesday night, Crockett ripped the state of Texas and claimed that GOP lawmakers tried to rig the election by taking advantage of voting laws. The Texas Supreme Court temporarily ordered that votes cast by people who were not in line to vote by 7 p.m. local time would not count, though a district judge later granted a request to extend polling hours to 9 p.m. in Dallas County.
Several Texas counties, including Harris, reportedly opted to forgo joint primaries to prevent voting fraud or sabotage. Talarico had little trouble capturing most of the state, though Crockett maintained a significant lead in her home base of Dallas.
“Unfortunately, this is what Republicans like to do,” Crockett said. “And, so, they specifically targeted Dallas County, and I think we all know why.”
Jasmine Crockett suggests there was cheating in her election
I thought questioning election results was a threat to our democracy and it’s impossible for any cheating to happen?! pic.twitter.com/FJE1Soo1j4
— Libs of TikTok (@libsoftiktok) March 4, 2026
Crockett added, “I can tell you now that people have been disenfranchised.”
The Associated Press called the race for Talarico shortly before 2 a.m. Wednesday. As of publication, he had collected roughly 52.8% of the vote to Crockett’s 45.9%. Roughly 92.3% of votes had been counted as of publication; Crockett told her supporters on Tuesday night that she did not expect the full results until Wednesday.
Crockett had not issued any further comments on social media as of Wednesday morning.
Talarico also discussed the voting restriction situation, saying, “Every vote must be counted, every voice must be heard. The voter suppression in my home county and in Congresswoman Crockett’s home county underscores the gravity of this moment.”
Incredible leadership from Jasmine Crockett getting a head start on election denialism. Really owning the lane. https://t.co/ZjoDgDeeHD
— Erin Maguire (@Erinmaguire) March 4, 2026
Crockett frequently drew backlash throughout her campaign, with one final controversy occurring in the hours ahead of Election Day. Libs of TikTok shared a video from Crockett’s TikTok page featuring an endorsement from a woman who had previously been detained by United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Some accused Crockett of taking advantage of the woman’s situation and manipulating it to appeal to minority voters.
The Libs of TikTok post went live shortly after 12 a.m. Tuesday, and the video disappeared from Crockett’s TikTok feed on Tuesday afternoon before reappearing later that evening. Crockett had also reposted a clip from another TikTok user who specifically wrote in that video’s caption, “I cannot vote in Texas, but I can be clear about my values.” It is unclear whether that person could not vote because they are an undocumented migrant.
Talarico will face the winner of a May runoff between Attorney General Ken Paxton and incumbent Sen. John Cornyn, neither of whom cleared 50%. Texas has not had a Democratic senator since Bob Krueger, who held that role for over five months beginning in January 1993. He lost a special election to Republican candidate and Texas State Treasurer Kay Bailey Hutchison that June.
