Jasmine Crockett officially Files for Senate
On December 8, 2025, just hours before the filing deadline, U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-Dallas) formally launched her campaign for the Democratic nomination in the 2026 U.S. Senate race, challenging three-term Republican incumbent Sen. John Cornyn in what promises to be one of the most closely watched contests of the midterm cycle.
The 44-year-old second-term congresswoman, a former public defender and civil rights attorney, first won her seat in 2022 in a crowded Democratic primary to succeed retiring Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson, who endorsed her; the district’s deep-blue lean made the primary tantamount to election. Her victory was propelled in part by over $2.7 million in independent expenditures from crypto-linked super PACs funded by Sam Bankman-Fried, the founder of the now-defunct FTX exchange—including $1.4 million from his Protect Our Future PAC, which focused on pandemic preparedness advocacy, as well as $1.3 million from Web3 Forward, backed by Bankman-Fried and FTX executive Ryan Salame. Crockett has said she was unaware of the donors’ crypto ties until media reports surfaced and that the groups could not legally coordinate with her campaign.she has built a national profile through unapologetically combative rhetoric and headline-grabbing clashes with Republicans. Her viral 2024 House Oversight Committee takedown of Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene—“bleach blonde, bad-built, butch body”—became a cultural moment and a bestselling piece of campaign merchandise. She has also traded barbs with former President Donald Trump, who has repeatedly questioned her intelligence by calling her a “very low IQ person” and a “lowlife,” while suggesting she take an aptitude test. Croxkwtt nicknamed Texas Gov. Greg Abbott “Governor Hot Wheels.” Those exchanges have helped make Crockett one of the Democratic Party’s most prolific fundraisers, with $4.6 million cash on hand and a large online following.
Crockett’s decision followed weeks of private polling and came the same day former Rep. Colin Allred abruptly ended his own Senate bid to run for his old House seat instead, clearing the Democratic field. She now faces state Rep. James Talarico of Austin, a progressive former teacher, in the March 3, 2026, Democratic primary.
On the Republican side, Cornyn faces a potentially bruising primary from Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and U.S. Rep. Wesley Hunt, among others, which could force a runoff.
Democrats have not won a statewide race in Texas since 1994, but some party strategists believe Cornyn could be vulnerable in a Trump-era midterm, especially if Paxton’s ongoing legal troubles dominate the GOP primary. Crockett has said she only entered the race because internal data showed a viable path to victory in November 2026, emphasizing her intent to expand turnout among infrequent and younger voters.
Whether her confrontational style and social-media stardom can overcome Texas’ deep-red lean in a statewide race remains the central question of her long-shot bid.