Crockett Faces Democratic Backlash After Talarico Left Off PAC Endorsement List

Texas congresswoman dismisses renewed controversy as Democrats confront lingering divisions from bitter Senate primary

WASHINGTON — Rep. Jasmine Crockett is facing renewed criticism from within her own party after her political action committee announced a new slate of endorsements while leaving Texas Democratic Senate nominee James Talarico off the list.

Crockett’s FIRE PAC announced endorsements for 14 candidates Monday, concentrating largely on state and local contests across Texas. Talarico, who defeated Crockett in the Democratic Senate primary earlier this year, was conspicuously absent. Democratic gubernatorial nominee Gina Hinojosa was also not included.

The omission quickly revived questions about whether divisions from the bruising Democratic primary have truly healed.

Crockett rejected that interpretation Tuesday. In a social-media response to coverage of the controversy, she criticized the media and reiterated that she had already backed Talarico after the primary. She reposted her March message congratulating him and calling for Democrats to rally behind the party’s nominees.

Talarico has likewise said that he considers Crockett supportive of his candidacy. But Crockett has largely stayed away from his general-election campaign, instead saying she intends to focus her political energy on down-ballot Democrats.

Democratic Criticism Breaks Into the Open

The controversy became sharper when former Democratic Rep. Susan Wild of Pennsylvania publicly attacked Crockett over Talarico’s absence from the endorsement list.

Wild accused her former congressional colleague of allowing personal considerations to interfere with Democratic unity and used unusually harsh language in criticizing Crockett. Fox News

The public clash exposes a politically uncomfortable issue for Democrats as they attempt to compete statewide in Texas: whether the party has fully reunited following a contentious Senate primary.

Crockett lost the March Democratic primary to Talarico, receiving 46.2 percent compared with Talarico’s 52.4 percent, according to results cited in contemporary reporting. New York Post

After the defeat, Crockett publicly congratulated Talarico and called for party unity. Since then, however, she has repeatedly signaled that her principal focus will be electing Democrats further down the ballot rather than becoming a prominent surrogate for his Senate campaign.

Crockett Says Her Focus Is Down-Ballot

Crockett has offered a straightforward explanation for her strategy: Texas Democrats need more than a single statewide campaign to motivate voters.

In an August CNN interview, she argued that local and legislative candidates risk being overshadowed by the attention surrounding the Senate contest. Her stated objective has been to use her political profile and fundraising operation to elevate those lesser-known candidates. Chron

That explanation is consistent with FIRE PAC’s latest endorsements.

The PAC has backed candidates for the Texas Legislature and county offices while also supporting several candidates outside Texas. The Washington Post reported that the organization has not endorsed either Talarico or Hinojosa, reinforcing Crockett’s contention that the omission is connected to the PAC’s down-ballot strategy rather than solely to her former primary opponent. The Washington Post

Still, Talarico's absence has attracted particular attention because of the history between the two Democrats.

Bitter Primary Continues to Cast a Shadow

The Democratic Senate primary was marked by significant personal and political tensions.

After losing, Crockett said racism had contributed to her defeat and argued that she had been subjected to different standards as a Black woman. Talarico and other Democrats have subsequently sought to minimize suggestions that the primary left a lasting rupture inside the party. The Washington Post

The Congressional Black Caucus PAC endorsed Talarico earlier this month, an important development after the primary divisions. Crockett herself, however, has continued charting a separate political course.

The result is an awkward distinction: Crockett maintains that she supports Talarico as the Democratic nominee, while her political organization is directing its endorsements and resources elsewhere.

Republicans can point to the episode as evidence of unresolved Democratic divisions, while Crockett and Talarico maintain publicly that there is no dispute between them.

Talarico is challenging Republican Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton in November, making the contest one of the most closely watched Senate races of the election cycle.

Crockett, meanwhile, will leave the House when her current term ends in January. Her decision to use the remainder of the campaign to promote state and local Democratic candidates gives her an independent political platform even after losing the Senate nomination. Currently

Whether that strategy ultimately helps Democrats build strength throughout Texas or deepens perceptions of a fractured party will remain a subject of political debate.

For now, Crockett appears unwilling to spend much time answering the criticism.

She insists her support for the Democratic ticket was established months ago and that her

attention has moved elsewhere.

But with Talarico fighting for a Senate seat and Democrats seeking party unity heading into November, the controversy over one missing name has ensured that the bitter primary — and Crockett’s relationship with its winner — remains part of the political conversation in Texas.