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State Rep. James Talarico defeated Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett in the Texas Senate Democratic primary Tuesday (March 3) night, with the rising candidate now at the center for the party's hopes of a big upset in the midterm election, the Associated Press reports.
Talarico will face the winner of a May runoff between longtime Republican Sen. John Cornyn and Ken Paxton, which could be decided by which candidate receives an endorsement from President Donald Trump. Texas was among three states, along with North Carolina and Arkansas, that began midterm elections with Congressional seats up for grabs on Tuesday.
Talarico proclaimed, "We're about to take back Texas" in response to his victory, acknowledging that Democrats haven't won a statewide election in the Lone Star State in more than 30 years. Crockett's campaign confirmed that she planned to sue over voting issues in Dallas after she claimed that "people have been disenfranchised" Tuesday night.
Voting was extended in Dallas and Williamson Counties after reports that voters were being turned away from the polls and directed to different voting precincts because of new primary rules. Crockett had built a national profile on throwing zingers at Republicans and focusing on Black voters in the larger Texas cities.
Talarico, a devout Catholic, held rallies across Texas, which included Republican stronghold areas.
“We are not just trying to win an election,” Talarico told supporters in Austin prior to the race officially being called. “ We are trying to fundamentally change our politics. And it’s working."