Talarico beats Crockett in Texas Democratic Senate primary

James Talarico is projected to defeat Rep. Jasmine Crockett in the closely watched Democratic primary for Senate in Texas, according to Decision Desk HQ.

The rising star now presents Democrats’ best hope of winning in the red state, where Democrats haven’t won statewide in decades. 

Controversy surrounding a CBS “Late Show” segment appeared to give Talarico, a presbyterian seminarian and former public school teacher, a surge of momentum in the weeks ahead of the primary. 

Crockett, a popular congresswoman known for her viral moments in the House, entered Tuesday’s contest with higher name ID than her rival, and handful of polls ahead of the race showed her in the lead. 

But Talarico pulled through with a majority of support on Tuesday, avoiding a runoff. 

Across the aisle, Sen. John Cornyn (R) is in a competitive March 3 three-way GOP primary with Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton (R) and Rep. Wesley Hunt (R-Texas). 

Republicans’ Senate campaign arm heavily pushed for Cornyn ahead of the race, and cited internal polling in a memo last month that showed the incumbent beating Talarico by 3 points, with Paxton losing to Talarico by 1 point. 

Flipping the seat remains a longshot for Democrats, but party operatives have likened this cycle to 2018, when Democrat Beto O’Rourke came within just a couple points of ousting Sen. Ted Cruz (R). 

Cornyn made the same comparison last month, warning that a Democratic win could be “the first crack in the red wall.”

“He’s pretty slick and — with media and obviously drawing crowds — he’s offering change,” Cornyn said of the state lawmaker, though he argued that Talarico’s approach “is not the sort of talk, as you know, that’s going to attract mainstream Texans in November.”

The Texas race has already set the record as the most expensive Senate primary in U.S. history, and even more is expected to pour in as Republicans defend a seat long seen as safe. 

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