Fighter or preacher: Jasmine Crockett and James Talarico lay out dueling styles in Senate primary
U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett (L), and state Rep. James Talarico.
Jason Fochtman – Houston Chronicle / Talia Sprague – Associated Press
In their Senate campaign launches, Jasmine Crockett and James Talarico each hammered on the core talking points expected of a Democratic candidate in a pivotal race under the national spotlight: income inequality, rising prices, unchecked political corruption and crippling polarization that makes solving problems impossible.
But their messaging and delivery couldn’t have been farther apart.
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For Crockett, a second-term congresswoman who formally entered the Senate race on Monday, the emphasis was on confrontation. “I’m coming for you,” she said in a warning to President Donald Trump and his fellow Republicans. Talarico, a four-term state representative from Austin, leaned into his secondary role as a Presbyterian seminary student, saying “love thy neighbor” at one point — even the ones Democrats to vanquish at the polls.
READ MORE: Jasmine Crockett jumps into the Democratic primary for US Senate
Democratic organizer Cristina Tzintzun Ramirez, who unsuccessfully sought the 2020 Senate nomination, said it’s too early to determine which style will resonate with most primary voters ahead of the March 3 contest. But she said the party is fortunate that both candidates bring a what-you-see-is-what-you-get quality to the campaign.
“What is similar about both of them is authenticity, and I think that’s what Democratic voters are desperate for,” Tzintzun Ramirez said, adding: “But they are each calling to a different kinds of action. Talarico calls for people to love and Jasmine calls for people to fight.”
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Both Crockett and Talarico were riding waves of anticipation ahead of their launches. In the run up to his announcement on Sept. 9, Talarico teased at his intentions with viral posts on social media, appearances on cable news and on the podcast hosted by Joe Rogan, who’s audience leans male and conservative.
Talarico’s Christian faith was a running theme and served notice that Talarico intended to compete for the votes of Texans of faith, instead of ceding that bloc to Republicans.
READ MORE: James Talarico is betting his Christian faith can win over Democrats in the U.S. Senate race
“My faith teaches me to love my neighbor as myself, not just my neighbor who looks like me or prays like me or votes like me,” Talarico told hundreds of supporters who turned out for his announcement at a park outside of Austin. “I am called to love all of my neighbors like I love myself, because despite our differences, we all want the same things: a safe neighborhood, a good job, a quality, well funded public school, and the ability to see a doctor when you need one.”
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Crockett entered the race late but is better known in Texas and across the nation than Talarico. She has sparred openly with congressional Republicans, including a loud confrontation during a committee hearing last year with U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, a conservative firebrand from Georgia. But what has drawn most of her attention are the back-and-forths with Trump. He questioned her intelligence this year and she fought back in kind, likening him to excrement.
Trump’s “low IQ” insults provided the soundtrackon Crockett’s launch in Dallas on Monday. During her speech, she riffed on her battles with the president and sought to paint whoever wins the Republican primary as a servant to Trump.
“Donald Trump, I know you’re watching, so hear me clearly,” Crockett said. “You’re not entitled to anything in Texas. You better get to work, because I’m coming for you.”
Whomever wins the primary will face either four-term incumbent John Cornyn, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton or U.S. Rep. Wesley Hunt of Houston in November.
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Jon Taylor, a political science professor at the University of Texas at San Antonio, said Democrats are more likely to gravitate toward a message of confrontation than conciliation as they head into the midterms, which experts expect to be a tough cycle for Republicans.
“Let’s be honest, there’s not a lot of difference between James Talarico and Jasmine Crockett on the issues,” Taylor said. “But you want a street fighter, somebody who’s going to be in your face. Jasmine Crockett is going to go toe-to-toe.”
Democratic activist Jen Ramos of Austin said it would be a mistake to dismiss Talarico as a political pacifist, his Christian faith and sometimes spiritual rhetoric notwithstanding.
“Talarico has played the game of mobilizing the very involved (Democratic) base,” Ramos said. “We’re talking the precinct chairs, the organizers, the volunteers.”
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Ramos said the primary starts out as “an even split,” but there are obstacles in the paths of both candidates. While Talarico might come off as too accommodating to Republicans, Democrats might be concerned Crockett’s message could alienate the swing voter needed to finally win statewide in Texas, she said.
“Jasmine Crockett has the potential to mobilize voters in a way that we haven’t seen before,” Ramos said. “That being said, I also think that her approach — that we don’t need Republicans — is not necessarily conducive to winning in a general election.”
