Racial rhetoric has intensified in Texas primary races as Democratic candidates exchange accusations involving race and identity, drawing criticism from Republicans and responses from those involved.
Jasmine Crockett, who is running for the U.S. Senate seat held by John Cornyn, said racism could be a factor if she loses the race. Meanwhile, former U.S. Rep. Colin Allred accused Texas state Rep. James Talarico of making disparaging remarks during a dispute connected to Senate and House contests.
“These disgusting comments are wokeness at its worst and the silence is deafening from Democrats,” Republican National Committee spokesman Zach Kraft said.
Crockett defended her candidacy in response to criticism.
“You think I didn’t know I was a black woman when I woke up and decided that I was going to run for the U.S. Senate? You think I didn’t factor in and make sure we had enough room to account for that?” Crockett said.
In recent weeks, identity-related disputes have emerged as candidates campaign in high-profile races. Texas Democratic state Rep. Gene Wu faced backlash after a clip from a 2024 interview on the Define American resurfaced. Speaking with journalist Jose Antonio Vargas, Wu said some Americans believe the country belongs to White people and described divisions among minority groups.
“That there is a sense of, ‘America really just belongs to White people,’ that this was that a lot of people believe that God gave America to White people to rule, and that any time that immigrants, minorities make progress in this country, that that is seen as a slight against them,” Wu said in the interview.
Wu added that Latino, Asian and Black communities are often divided despite sharing common challenges.
The comments drew condemnation from Republicans, including U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, who said, “The Democrat party is built on bigotry.”
Allred said on a podcast hosted by former Democratic National Committee chairman Jaime Harrison that Talarico told him he would be a stronger candidate because he does not have a family and could spend more time campaigning.
“As you know, Jaime, like I didn’t know my dad, so I’m like all about being a father to my two boys, right? I was like, no, no, no, I run because of my family,” Allred said.
Allred has since withdrawn from the Senate race and is running for a newly drawn congressional district near Dallas. The current district is represented by U.S. Rep. Marc Veasey.
A TikTok influencer, Morgan Thompson, said she heard Talarico describe Allred as a “mediocre Black man” during a campaign event and later voiced support for Crockett.
Talarico called the allegation a mischaracterization of a private conversation.
“I would never attack him on the basis of race,” Talarico said. “As a Black man in America, Congressman Allred has had to work twice as hard to get where he is. I understand how my critique of the Congressman’s campaign could be interpreted given this country’s painful legacy of racism, and I care deeply about the impact my words have on others.”
Talarico announced he raised $7.4 million during the first six weeks of the quarter in his campaign against Crockett. Representatives for both campaigns did not respond to requests for comment.