Dem strategists say Texas requires centrists — but their new Senate frontrunner is anything but
When it comes to the heavily contested Senate battle in Texas, former Rep. Colin Allred is out, Rep. Jasmine Crockett is in, and Democrats appear divided over whether Crockett's a...
By Fox News · Fox News
When it comes to the heavily contested Senate battle in Texas , former Rep. Colin Allred is out, Rep. Jasmine Crockett is in, and Democrats appear divided over whether Crockett's a political liability in the ruby-red Lone Star State as the party works to flip the crucial seat. The stakes in the race are extremely high, as it's one of a handful across the country that will likely determine if Republicans hold their Senate majority in next year's midterm elections. Crockett, a two-term lawmaker who represents a Dallas-area district, is a progressive firebrand and rising Democratic Party star with a large social media following who is known as a vocal critic and foil of President Donald Trump . Her launch will likely further rock the Texas ballot box showdown, which, on the Republican side, includes a very combustible battle between incumbent Sen. John Cornyn and GOP primary rivals state Attorney General Ken Paxton and Rep. Wesley Hunt. "The Democratic Party’s aspirations to win statewide in a red state like Texas simply don’t exist without a centrist Democrat who can build a winning coalition of ideologically diverse voters," Liam Kerr, co-founder of the Welcome PAC, a group which advocates for moderate Democratic candidates, argued in a statement to Fox News Digital. JASMINE CROCKETT SAYS SHE DOESN'T NEED TO CONVERT TRUMP SUPPORTERS IN HER TEXAS SENATE BID Allred, who was making his second straight bid for the Senate after losing last year to conservative Sen. Ted Cruz by nine points, abandoned his bid on Monday and announced he would run next year to return to the House, hours before Crockett launched her campaign. Crockett will now face off in her party's primary with state Rep. James Talarico, a former middle school teacher and Presbyterian seminarian who is also seen as a rising Democrat. The two surging contenders will face off in the March 3 primary. FIERCE TRUMP CRITIC CROCKETT SHAKES UP HIGH STAKES SENATE RACE "I think we’re in a period where we’re looking f…