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Texas Democrats rejoiced Saturday after they flipped a state Senate seat in a district that President Donald Trump carried in 2024 by 17 percentage points, hailing it as a burst of momentum for the midterms in the historically red state.
But they received a stark reminder of their own divides days later when former Democratic congressman Colin Allred claimed that James Talarico, a state representative running in the competitive Democratic primary for U.S. Senate, had referred to him as a "mediocre Black man." Then, Allred endorsed Talarico's rival, U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett, two weeks before early voting for the March 3 primary is set to begin.
Allred's intervention exacerbated racial tensions that were already brewing between Crockett and Talarico - and raised new concerns inside the party that the infighting could make it harder for Democrats to eventually unify for a long-awaited opportunity to turn Texas blue. Talarico, who is White, pushed back on Allred's claim. Crockett, who like Allred is Black, praised his comments.
"Primaries are going to be raucous and contentious," Texas Democratic Party Chairman Kendall Scudder told reporters Tuesday. "They're only going to get more so … as Texas gets more and more in play."
He added that he hopes Democrats "all treat each other with respect" and understand the importance of moving forward as a "team" after the primary.
The week started on a high note for Texas Democrats. Taylor Rehmet's state Senate win over Republican Leigh Wambsganss with some 57 percent of the vote resonated from Fort Worth to Washington. Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-South Dakota) said Tuesday that the election showed Republicans "need to up our game."
In Texas, Democrats took it as an especially encouraging harbinger for their U.S. Senate race, which could factor into the party's long-shot push to win back the upper chamber of Congress this fall. They already saw an opening because the GOP incumbent, Sen. John Cornyn, has struggled in his primary contest against a scandal-plagued challenger, state Attorney General Ken Paxton, who could make the November election more competitive should he be the nominee.
"We have an opportunity to make big gains like we might not have in a long, long time," state Rep. Gina Hinojosa (D), who is running for governor, said Tuesday in an interview.
Hinojosa, the front-runner in her primary contest, has been making a point of appealing to supporters of both Crockett and Talarico, saying she is friends with each of them and considers herself "Team Jasarico."
A firebrand known for her verbal sparring with Republicans, Crockett made a last-minute entrance into the Senate race in December as Allred withdrew to run for a U.S. House seat in a heavily Democratic district in the Dallas area. Her candidacy has spurred a spirited debate inside the party about whether she can win in November, with some of her supporters arguing that criticism of her politics is rooted in racism.
Allred's video, released on social media Monday, took the debate to a new level.
"This man should not be our nominee," Allred said of Talarico. "I wasn't going to get involved in this race, but, listen, don't come for me unless I send for you, okay, James? And keep my name out of your mouth while you're at it."
Allred appeared to be referencing an account from a Dallas-area content creator, Morgan Thompson, who claimed in a TikTok video earlier Monday that Talarico told her in a one-on-one conversation last month that he had signed up to run against "a mediocre Black man," referring to Allred, and "not a formidable and intelligent Black woman" - an apparent reference to Crockett.
Talarico called Thompson's comments "a mischaracterization of a private conversation," saying in a statement that he was describing "Allred's method of campaigning as mediocre … I would never attack him on the basis of race."
Thompson did not respond to a request for comment on Talarico's remark.
Crockett lauded Allred, saying in a statement: "We must all stand, especially when it feels uncomfortable, to say what is right and what is wrong. … I appreciate the support of my candidacy and his measured attempt to try to stay out of the primary as the most recent nominee."
While many supporters of Crockett and Talarico quickly defended their candidates on social media, some Texas Democrats could hardly conceal their frustration with the primary taking another nasty turn.
"While y'all posting about what some influencer said was said, they're about to put a ~10,000 PERSON ICE MEGA JAIL in #Dallas County," state Rep. Rafael AnchÃa wrote on X, referring to a recent report that the Trump administration is eyeing a Dallas suburb for a large immigration detention facility. "Lock in, people!!!!!"
Ali S. Zaidi, a former staffer for the Texas House Democratic Caucus, said on social media that Thompson's account of Talarico was "out of norm for who Rep. Talarico is" and lamented that it was "disappointing that some believe this is how a primary ought to be conducted."
Other Texas Democrats cringed at the clash but sought to portray it as a natural by-product of Texas becoming a more competitive state.
"Obviously the news that happened [Monday] was not ideal, but I do think that it is emblematic of the amount of attention that this race is getting both here and nationally," said Luke Warford, the founder of the Agave Democratic Infrastructure Fund.
Monique Alcala, a former executive director of the Texas Democratic Party who is undecided between Crockett and Talarico, said she was mainly concerned about the contentious primary turning off a long-loyal voting bloc for Democrats in November.
"We say all the time - and it's true - that Black voters are the backbone of the party," Alcala said. "They've stood by the Democratic Party time and time again as we've confronted the threat of fascism."
Republicans are relishing in the infighting, especially as it distracts from their own internecine struggles in Texas.
National Republican Senatorial Committee Chairman Tim Scott of South Carolina, the only Black Republican in the Senate, shared Allred's video on X and commented, "Something ain't White here, [James Talarico]." Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) also shared the video, commenting with clown and popcorn emojis.
The tensions have some similarities with the 2020 Democratic primary for U.S. Senate in Texas. A White woman, MJ Hegar, defeated a Black man, Royce West, in a contentious runoff that unfolded against the backdrop of racial justice protests nationwide.
West later said that he would not vote for Hegar in the general election and that she has "had a problem all along with Black folks." Hegar went on to lose the general election - against Cornyn - by 10 percentage points.
Tensions centered on race have previously surfaced in this year's Senate primary race. Crockett has had to address comments she made last year suggesting that some Latino supporters of Trump have a "slave mentality"; she has said she was taken out of context.
And in January, the hosts of a popular pop culture podcast drew the ire of Crockett's supporters after one of the hosts suggested she would not win the general election in November.
"Don't waste your money sending to Jasmine Crockett. Do not do it," host Matt Rogers said during a "Las Culturistas" episode. "She's not going to win a Senate seat in Texas, you guys. If Beto O'Rourke couldn't do it, Jasmine Crockett is not going to do it."
Rogers apologized on Instagram a few days later.
"I really do think that the host said the quiet part out loud, which basically was: If a White man couldn't do it, then why would a Black woman even have the audacity to think that she could?" Crockett said in an interview in the U.S. Capitol last month.
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