WASHINGTON — Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-Texas) announced her candidacy Monday for the United States Senate, taking on long-serving incumbent John Cornyn (R-Texas).
Crockett, a progressive lawmaker in her sophomore term, has already secured significant support from her constituents after an exploratory poll commissioned by her team found that she would be the leading Democratic candidate.
The representative spoke with Medill News Service for a wide-ranging interview that covered her thoughts on President Donald Trump’s attacks on her character and insights into a perceived underrepresented Democratic electorate in Texas.
“I feel like I made the right decision,” she said, adding she is confident that her high-profile status will be integral to her campaign, and quoting the Beyoncé lyric “you know you that [expletive] when you cause all this conversation.”
Before announcing her candidacy, one of Crockett’s primary rivals, Colin Allred, announced he would end his Senate campaign and run to represent a new district in Texas following the Supreme Court’s decision to uphold the state’s redistricting plan. Allred was the Democratic nominee for the Senate in 2024, losing to incumbent Ted Cruz (R-Texas). He cited a “friendly” conversation with Crockett before she mounted her campaign.
Crockett’s race is expected to be an uphill battle, as Texas has not had a Democratic senator since Senator Robert C. Krueger left office in 1995.
Despite serving in Congress since only 2023, Crockett has risen to prominence for her sharp criticisms of the Trump administration and clashes with Republicans like Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) In May 2024, Crockett went viral after labeling Greene, a fellow member of the Oversight Committee, as having a “bleach blond, bad built, butch body,” after Taylor Greene made fun of her “fake eyelashes.”
Crockett is framing her campaign as a collective effort to promote Democratic leaders throughout the state, saying building a strong coalition of Texas Democrats is a priority.
“I want to do everything I can to impact the down-ballot races with my candidacy,” she said.
“One of the things I wanted to do was really make sure we can maximize having the strongest team,” she told Medill News Service. “It’s a state of 30 million people, and it’s vast…I want to do everything that I can to make sure that we have a really good apparatus that everyone can benefit from,” she added.
Crockett’s colleague in the House Oversight Committee, Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.), immediately endorsed her in a social media video Monday evening.
“I believe Jasmine will stand up to the lawlessness of this administration and fight for every Texan in the United States Senate,” Khanna said, citing a bill he worked on with Crockett to “hold ICE accountable.”
“I’ve had a friendship and working relationship with [Crockett] so that was a no-brainer for me,” Khanna told Medill News Service.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) did not commit to endorsing Crockett but praised her work ethic at a press conference Tuesday afternoon.
“I haven’t talked to Jasmine this week when she made the final decision to move forward, but she’s an incredibly talented individual, a hard worker and a fighter. She’s going to be a very formidable candidate,” he said.
Jeffries added that his focus remains on flipping the House’s Republican majority, saying he is not currently prioritizing endorsements in Senate races.
“We’re still in the process of working through the House battlefield, so I have no visibility into what we might do at any point in the future relative to the Senate. At the moment, we’ll leave that to Chuck Schumer,” he added.
House Democratic Whip Katherine Clark (D-Mass.) told Medill News Service that Crockett will be missed in the House.
“I am always disappointed to see incredible members like Jasmine leave the house, but we wish her the very best of luck…I am so focused on House races, but I think Jasmine can do just about anything,” Clark said.
On the opposing side, Cornyn has repeatedly said he is not intimidated by Crockett’s candidacy, telling reporters Monday evening that she is the “worst” possible candidate. On Tuesday, he said that he didn’t understand why Crockett was polling well.
If elected, Crockett would become one of three Black women in the Senate, a historic high.
Though Crockett is competing with a long-tenured opponent — Cornyn was first elected in 2002 — she said she does not “buy into this idea that Texas is red.”
“I think that there is a lot of voter suppression, I think that there is a little voter apathy, and I think that it’s been very difficult to get our message out to voters in Texas…the entire country has been experiencing a wave that won’t be any different in Texas,” she said.
Poster advertising Crockett’s campaign rests on a pole adjacent to the Cannon House Office Building. Gabe Hawkins/MNS
Angela Alsobrooks (D-Md.), one of two Black women currently serving in the Senate,) said she is enthusiastic about Crockett’s candidacy.
“I’m really proud of Jasmine,” Alsobrooks told Medill News Service.
“I think it takes so much courage to jump into that race. She’s obviously a really talented legislator, and I’m really proud and happy to see her,” she added.
Rep. Ayanna Pressley (D-Mass.), who is also a Black woman, quickly endorsed Crockett, posting a photo Monday evening with the congresswoman at a Black leadership event.
Pressley captioned the post by describing Crockett as a “relentless fighter and a brilliant legal mind.”
“She is exactly the kind of authentic, bold, effective leader this moment demands, the people deserve, and the Senate needs,” she added.
When asked about Crockett’s campaign, House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) grinned and said he was eager for her to enter the race. He called her a “star” of the Democratic Party but said he expected she would not succeed in her bid.
“I think it’s one of the greatest things that’s happened to the Republican party in a long, long time,” Johnson said.
“I want her to have the largest, loudest microphone she can every day, and we look forward to having that election down there…Texas is a red state. People in Texas are common-sense Americans and what Jasmine is trying to sell will not be purchased by the people of Texas,” he added.
Crockett said she has experienced a degree of hate from members of the public who oppose her politically. She said her older constituents have expressed concern that her Senate run could put her safety at risk.
“They see how much security I normally have to have when I’m out of DC. They see even the security I have to have when I’m in DC. They know, but they don’t know, they see the hate online, but I refuse to give those people a platform. I refuse to make those people a part of my story,” she said.
Crockett said she looks forward to rallying support around her campaign.
“We’re gonna make this a big national thing where everyone is going to help out because it matters, not just for Texas but the entire nation,” she said.