Polls for Texas Senate Democratic Nomination
The latest polling data for the Democratic nomination for the Texas Senate indicates that Representative Jasmine Crockett from Dallas holds a significant lead over Representative James Talarico from Austin.
Interestingly, this race seems to mirror a high-profile contest reminiscent of President Obama against Vice President Harris.
The primary election is approaching quickly, set for this Tuesday, March 3rd.
According to a public opinion poll conducted by the University of Texas at Tyler, involving 1,117 registered voters and 959 likely voters surveyed between February 13 and 22, Crockett enjoys a 55% approval rating. In contrast, Talarico stands at 37%. This margin is considerably outside the poll’s error range of 3.2 percentage points.
A separate poll from the University of Houston in late January also indicated support for Crockett, suggesting she leads by about 8 points.
However, it’s worth noting that convoluted results have surfaced in recent polling. Another January poll showed Talarico ahead by 9 points, and just last week, a poll reported a 12-point advantage for him.
So, it’s a bit unclear.
What we do know is that former Vice President Kamala Harris is actively campaigning for Crockett, making robocalls to rally support.
In one such call, Harris remarked, “Texas has a chance to send a warrior like Jasmine Crockett to the U.S. Senate,” emphasizing her qualifications and experience to hold former President Trump and his supporters accountable. She wrapped up the call by asking voters if they’d want fries, a quirky touch that’s memorable.
On the other hand, Talarico received endorsement from former President Obama last October, who praised him as a “really talented young man” during a podcast—this clip has since been highlighted by Talarico’s campaign.
There’s a prevailing belief among the Democratic establishment that Talarico stands a better chance of defeating either incumbent Senator John Cornyn or Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, who currently leads in polls. This sentiment was further underscored by Stephen Colbert’s somewhat embarrassing attempts to promote Talarico on his show.
In an assessment made earlier this month, Colbert falsely claimed he was told that Talarico could not appear as a guest. In reality, CBS had simply informed him about the FCC’s “equal time” rule, which requires him to also host Crockett given the close nature of the primary.
Instead of inviting Crockett, Colbert fabricated the censorship story and posted the interview with Talarico on YouTube. This generated publicity, resulting in millions of dollars in donations for Talarico and allowed him to leverage the narrative of being wronged, despite the clear indication that Colbert was not performing well for CBS financially.
