The near-constant stream of takes from content creators has come to frame the primary between Jasmine Crockett and James Talarico as a referendum on identity politics in the Democratic Party.
Kayla Guo
Kayla Guo covers state politics and government. Before joining the Tribune, she covered Congress for The New York Times as a reporting fellow based in Washington, D.C. Kayla has also covered transportation policy for Politico and local news for The Raleigh News & Observer, and she was a part-time digital producer for The Boston Globe. She graduated from Brown University, where she studied public policy and served as editor-in-chief and president of the independent student newspaper. She was born and raised on Long Island, New York. She is based in Austin.
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2026 Texas Elections
On the issues: a Q&A with the Texas Republicans running for U.S. Senate
GOP candidates John Cornyn, Wesley Hunt and Ken Paxton refused to participate in a candidate Q&A on major issues, ranging from foreign policy to artificial intelligence. We used their past statements and voting history to show voters where they differ.
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2026 Texas Elections
On the issues: a Q&A with the Texas Democrats running for U.S. Senate
To help primary voters differentiate between the two, we asked Jasmine Crockett and James Talarico where they fall on major issues, ranging from international policy to taxes. See where they stand, and how they differ.
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2026 Texas Elections
Colin Allred blasts James Talarico over disputed TikTok allegation that he called him a “mediocre Black man”
Talarico called the allegation a “mischaracterization” and said he was describing Allred’s “method of campaigning.” Allred, Talarico’s rival in the Senate primary before dropping his bid, also urged Democrats to vote for Talarico’s opponent, Jasmine Crockett.
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2026 Texas Elections
Talarico began 2026 with bigger war chest than Crockett in Democratic Senate primary awash in cash
Crockett raised about $2 million between her Dec. 8 campaign launch and year’s end, about one-third of Talarico’s haul over the first three weeks of his Senate bid.
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State Government
Dan Patrick lists property tax cuts, preventing Sharia law among priorities for 2027 session
Patrick’s initial five-item to-do list also included assessing risks posed by hostile foreign entities to the grid’s supply chain and preventing fraud in Texas’ health and human services.
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2026 Texas Elections
In Senate Democratic primary, Crockett steps up appeals to Latinos with ICE facility visit, South Texas rally
After coming under fire for some earlier comments about Latinos, Crockett is working to narrow Democratic rival James Talarico’s lead among the key voting bloc.
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2026 Texas Elections
Jasmine Crockett, James Talarico in dead heat in Texas’ Senate Democratic primary, new poll finds
The survey of likely Democratic voters suggests the March 3 primary is a toss-up less than three weeks out from early voting.
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2026 Texas Elections
New Talarico campaign ad puts spotlight on his role in passing bill that caps insulin costs
While GOP lawmakers accused the Austin Democrat of overstating his role in passing a statewide cap on insulin copays, his Democratic colleagues said his personal battle with diabetes generated key momentum for the effort.
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2026 Texas Elections
Jasmine Crockett, James Talarico show different fighting styles in first debate of Senate Democratic primary
During the hourlong debate, Talarico highlighted his history battling Republicans in the legislative arena, while Crockett framed herself as a “street fighter” taking on the GOP outside Capitol Hill.