Over the past two weeks, the liberal media has boosted Texas Democratic Senate candidate James Talarico in ways rarely seen in the state’s primaries, including what critics call misleading reporting and manipulation.
But his opponent, Rep. Jasmine Crockett, who is known for being outspoken, isn’t going away quietly.
It all started on February 16, when late-night political pundit Stephen Colbert falsely claimed that the Trump administration and CBS had banned the broadcast of an interview with Talarico. It never happened. Colbert later acknowledged that the segment was satirical, but the controversy helped raise $2.5 million for the candidate and boost his national stature.
At the time, Crockett had a solid, if not overwhelming, lead in the polls. Since then, without any major support from elected Democrats, Talarico has been treated like a golden boy by liberal media ranging from the far-left newspaper The Nation to The New York Times.
But some voters I spoke to in Dallas this weekend said they don’t believe the hype.
I don’t normally describe the skin color of the people I talk to for my columns. It rarely has relevance. But in the case of Carlo, who is black and works for the sanitation department that cleans parks, I made an exception because he brought it up.
Rep. Jasmine Crockett, D-Texas and candidate for U.S. Senate, during a debate at the 2026 Texas AFL-CIO COPE Convention in Georgetown, Texas, January 24, 2026. (Bob Daemmrich/The Texas Tribune/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
“They don’t think the black woman can win,” he told me, referring to what he sees as the media’s preference for the White Talarico. ‘But everyone I know votes for her, and so do the unions. Don’t count that woman out.”
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It was reminiscent of a recent viral video clip of a white woman in Texas literally crying because she loves Crockett but thought she should vote for Talarico based on her electability. The overwhelming emotion she felt was almost certainly shame at the idea of betraying a black woman for the greater good.
And I’ve found evidence that these Democratic media scare tactics could work.
A Democratic voter in his 70s told me Sunday that he was still undecided, but, “I like what I see in the Talarico ads, and it seems like a lot of people think he has the best chance. I guess I need to do some more thinking.”
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Adding to the general sense of confusion about these Senate primaries is the fact that the election has been as schizophrenic as Dr. Jekyll. Two polls came out in one day last week: one with Talarico up 12 points, the other with Crockett up 12 points. What should someone do with that?
Representative James Talarico appears with Stephen Colbert on CBS’ “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” in New York on February 16, 2026. (Scott Kowalchyk/CBS via Getty Images)
The only way this kind of polling gap can arise, short of deliberate manipulation – for which there is no evidence – is if these pollsters have completely different ideas about the composition of the electorate, which is the subjective side of that particular social science.
The polling averages have pushed Talarico into a slight lead, heralded at every turn by liberal commentators on TV celebrating the shift. But on the ground, this supposed wind at Talarico’s back is harder to sense.
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Cindy, a twenty-something barista, told me, “I don’t trust the polls at all. I just vote for whoever I think is best.” In classic tight-lipped Texas style, she refused to tell me who that was.
The conventional wisdom here in Texas is that Talarico has done enough to get over the top. I even heard this from GOP operatives. But more importantly, the people coming up with this conventional wisdom all seem to be part of Team Talarico.
Texas State Rep. James Talarico, D-Travis, and U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett, D-Texas, shake hands. (Bob Daemmrich/Getty Images)
With the results coming in Tuesday night, there’s also an important side bet to watch, as Vice President Kamala Harris has endorsed Crockett, a risk for a woman with a fairly wide lead in the 2028 primaries.
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Believe me when I say that the same left-wing news anchors and producers criticizing Crockett’s campaign don’t want Harris anywhere near the top of the ’28 list. But does Kamala know something they don’t?
These Texas primaries are now, among other things, a test of the power of the liberal mainstream media. They’re all busy with Talarico. A Crockett victory would expose how little influence the former news giants now have.
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The good news for Democrats is that both Talarico and Crockett have pledged to support the other if they lose, which is nice but may not heal the division.
At some point, Democratic voters, especially black voters, will get tired of always having to vote for the nice, simple white guy in tight races. It is essentially an illogical attempt to fight racism with racism, and its core may not hold.
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