Just days after she entered the race for U.S. Senate, Dallas Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett jumped to an 8-point lead over her Democratic competitor, state Rep. James Talarico of Austin, according to a new poll.
The survey of 1,600 Texans who said they plan to vote in the March 3 primary showed the race dividing along racial, gender and age lines. Crockett, seeking to become Texas’ first Black and first female Democratic U.S. senator, had the support of nearly nine in 10 Black respondents and 57% of the women who participated in the poll taken Dec. 9-11 and released Friday.
While Crockett showed a wide 59-34 among respondents over 55, Talarico held a 63-34 lead with Democrats 34 and younger.
In a statement, Crockett said the poll echoed her private polling, which she has not released, and shows that she can win the nomination and would match up well against Republican nominee in the general election.
“The Texas Southern poll illustrates that voters know what I know: that I’m in the best position to mobilize voters who’ve been overlooked, ignored, and excluded,” Crockett said. “Over half of democratic voters agree that I am the candidate who will be most successful in getting infrequent voters to show up en masse.”
A Talarico spokesman, meanwhile, said the poll shows a single-digit divide with many voters still unfamiliar with the Austin Democrat.
“While many voters are still learning about James, he starts out very competitive,” said Talarico aide J.T. Ennis. “Polling consistently shows that the more people get to know James, the more they support him.”
Talarico, who has been campaigning since September, scored highest among white and Hispanic voters, 53% to 40% and 51% to 41%, respectively. He also led among male respondents, 52%-42%. The poll was conducted by the Barbara Jordan Public Policy and Research Center of Texas Southern University.
“While 94% of likely primary voters know enough about Crockett to have an opinion of her, only 79% know enough about Talarico at the present time to have an opinion of him,” a news release announcing the poll states.
The poll went into the field Monday, the same day Crockett announced and filed for the primary that will decide which Democrat will face either four-term incumbent John Cornyn, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton or U.S. Rep. Wesley Hunt of Houston. Filing for the primary also ended Monday.
Republican voters were not included in the poll.
