Crockett says she supports ‘all Democrats:’ ‘Yes, that includes James Talarico’

Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-Texas) said she supports all Democrats on the ballot in Texas, adding that this includes the Democratic Senate nominee who defeated her in the primary, James Talarico.

“I support all Democrats. Yes, that includes James Talarico, who I endorsed the day after the election, OK?” she said in a livestream on social media, the Texas Tribune reported Monday.

Crockett called Talarico to congratulate him on his win in the March 3 primary the following day, but no official statements or a formal endorsement have been released in the months since.

She lso not campaigned with Talarico, and Talarico’s name was not included in a list of 14 endorsements from Crockett’s FIRE PAC following its release last Monday, the Washington Post reported . The group has backed a wide swath of candidates across the country, including across Texas and in California and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

Crockett blasted criticism over Talarico’s absence from the list, referring “lazy journalists” to her congratulatory post on the social platform X in March.

“Y’all are corny! I keep receipts. I’ll be happy when people either give a damn about FACTS or news media goes back to the news instead of deciding to ride the tabloid lane. NOW FOR THE 1000th time maybe write an article about KEN F*in PAXTON. Y’all all sound like corny groupie a– OPS!” she wrote on X last Tuesday, referring to GOP Senate candidate Ken Paxton.

Crockett told CNN in August that she planned to focus on “ campaigning down ballot ” in Texas, making no mention of Talarico and his campaign. She pointed to all the energy spent on Democrat Beto O’Rourke’s campaign to defeat Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) in 2018, only for O’Rourke to lose by a few points.

“And so for me, I think that making sure that people that maybe are getting overshadowed because it seems like it’s only about one big race, I think amplifying them, making sure that I can raise their profiles and introducing them to people, that’ll give something more to voters,” she told CNN’s Laura Coates at the time.

She has also said that she did not think it would help Talarico by sharing the stage with him at campaign events, instead choosing to campaign with Black candidates aiming to win in November.

“The best thing that I can do for James Talarico isn’t me standing on a stage with him,” Crockett told the San Antonio Observer in July, adding that help for those candidates could bring more Black Texans to the ballot box.

A Fox News poll released last Thursday showed Talarico leading Paxton 51-49. The race has become one of the most competitive in the nation as Democrats seek to reclaim control of the upper chamber.

President Trump chose to back Paxton over incumbent Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) during the GOP primary runoff in May.