After winning primary, Tarrant Democrats say Talarico can flip US Senate seat
Tarrant County Democrats say they are optimistic about the party’s chances to flip the U.S. Senate seat in November following State Rep. James Talarico’s victory over U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett in the nationally-watched Democratic primary race.
In the Stagecoach Ballroom in Fort Worth on Tuesday night, Tarrant County Democrats gathered for a primary watch party, with most of the room starting the night pulling for Crockett. But by the end, almost all were willing to throw their support behind Talarico following his win.
Early voting results posted at 7 p.m. showed Talarico began the night with a slim lead over Crockett, securing 53.7% of the early vote to Crockett’s 45.1%. Talarico officially secured the nomination early Wednesday morning. Crockett conceded the race and urged her supporters to back Talarico.
In Tarrant County, more voters selected Crockett in early voting. As of 10 p.m., she held a narrow county lead of 55.9%.
John Schleeter, of North Richland Hills, was one of just a few attendees who pulled for Talarico to win the nomination from the start. He said Talarico was the candidate who can give the Democrats the best chance to flip the Senate seat in November’s general election.
He’s bullish on Talarico’s chances in a general election in November against both Ken Paxton or John Cornyn, who are headed for a Republican primary runoff.
“I feel like he is somebody that has finally come out and can speak on the issues, and speak on them in such a way, he’s basically speaking Texas and speaking Republican,” Schleeter said. “That is a big deal. For any statewide race, we are going to have to peel away a lot of voters on the other side.”
But Schleeter also said he would’ve supported Crockett if she was the party’s nominee. He believes this could be the year Democrats take a Senate seat in Texas, and pointed to Democrat Taylor Rehmet’s recent win in a special election in usually-red Senate District 9 in Tarrant County as a reason why.
Stacy Holder, who also showed up to the Stagecoach Ballroom to show support for Democrats across the ballot, was pulling for Crockett. She is tired of playing nice and thinks Crockett had “just the right amount of sass” that is needed to flip the Senate seat and oppose Republicans.
But like Schleeter, Holder will now fully support Talarico and is confident he can win in November, she said.
“I am one of those angry Democrats,” Holder said. I want to fight. I want them to fight too, until the bitter end. To me, Crockett [was] the one. She has just the right amount of fight. But Talarico can do this.”
Schleeter and Holder were among dozens of Tarrant County Democrats at the watch party who believe the time is best chance in years for Texas to become a bit more blue. Just about everyone agreed that voters who supported Crockett should now throw their support behind the victorious Talarico.
Schleeter, who pushed back on the notion that Texas is a “red state,” said people who aren’t from Texas don’t understand how many Democrats there are across the state.
“We are not a red state,” Schleeter said. “We are a non-voting state. We have an awful lot of people that just do not show up to every election. Some people aren’t even registered in their districts, and in important districts. Talarico should make people excited to vote.”
Michelle Winder, a Democratic candidate running unopposed for State House District 99, was also pulling for Crockett and has known her since before she was elected to U.S. Congress. But now she’s excited about Talarico and his ability to reel in moderate voters who were previously apprehensive about voting for a Democrat. Amy Stewart, a Tarrant County election volunteer and poll worker shared a similar sentiment.
“No matter who it was that ended up winning, it’s always about the Democratic Party and who’s the best for the state,” Stewart said. “Whoever wins, wins. We’re good either way.”
Stewart feels especially confident about Talarico’s prospects to win in November because of Rehmet’s special election win and the number of voters that turned out to early voting.
“I am way more confident this year because this has been the most expensive race, state-wide,” Stewart said. “We pulled out more voters than ever. Not just in early voting but today as well. And we should be good to go into Nov. 5.”
This story was originally published March 3, 2026 at 9:01 PM.
