Here are the Democratic primary candidates for U.S. Senate in Texas

Three Democrats are on the primary ballot in the U.S. Senate race in Texas: Ahmad R. Hassan, Jasmine Crockett and James Talarico. The winner in the March 3 primary will be on the Nov. 3 ballot, facing off with the Republican candidate.

Here are the Democratic candidates’ responses to a Star-Telegram questionnaire. They are listed in the order they’ll appear on the ballot.

Ahmad R. Hassan

Age (as of March 3, 2026): 73

Campaign website: hassanfortexas.com

Best way for voters to reach you: drhassan06@yahoo.com

Occupation: Law degree and graduate-level management work; community leader.

Education: Law School graduate, Bachelors degree political science

Have you run for elected office before? County Judge; Congress

Please list the highlights of your civic involvement/activism in Texas: I have served on community boards focused on affordable housing, led legal clinics expanding access to justice, organized voter outreach and civic education efforts across underserved neighborhoods, and participated in state coalitions advocating for healthcare access and economic opportunity.

Have you ever been arrested, charged with a crime or otherwise been part of a criminal proceeding? No. I have never been arrested, charged, or involved in any criminal proceedings.

Have you been involved in a civil lawsuit or bankruptcy proceeding? No. I have not been a party to any civil litigation as a defendant, nor have I filed for or been involved in a bankruptcy proceeding.

Who are your top three campaign contributors? As a grassroots campaign, our top contributors are individual Texans committed to affordable healthcare, economic opportunity, and voting rights.

Why are you seeking this office? I’m seeking the U.S. Senate to restore responsive leadership for Texans, tackle rising costs of living, protect access to healthcare, strengthen our economy, and ensure dignity and opportunity for all — not just the wealthy and well-connected.

If elected, what would your top 3 policy priorities be?

Affordable healthcare access — lower costs and expand coverage nationwide.

Economic opportunity — expanding jobs, small business support, and workforce development.

Smart border and immigration reform that secures borders while protecting families and commerce.

How will you measure your success as a U.S. senator? By the real outcomes Texans see: reduced healthcare costs, expanded access to coverage, more jobs and higher wages, progress on border security and legal reforms, and measurable improvements in education funding and community resilience.

Why should voters choose you over your opponents? Voters should choose me because I bring pragmatic leadership grounded in real Texas concerns — healthcare affordability, economic security, and effective governance — and I am committed to results over rhetoric, to serving all Texans, and to restoring faith in federal leadership.

As a U.S. senator, how would you interact and work with members of the opposite party? Are there specific policy ideas where you see opportunities for bipartisanship? Voters should choose me because I bring pragmatic leadership grounded in real Texas concerns — healthcare affordability, economic security, and effective governance — and I am committed to results over rhetoric, to serving all Texans, and to restoring faith in federal leadership.

What is the biggest challenge facing Texas? How would you address it if elected? The biggest challenge is economic strain from rising costs — food, housing, healthcare — which Texans cite as top concerns. I would advocate federal policies that reduce medical costs, expand affordable housing, enhance wage growth, and protect consumer protections.

What should be prioritized in federal spending that Texans care about, and what, if anything, do you believe should receive less budget allocations? Priority spending should go toward affordable healthcare, workforce training, infrastructure (including broadband and disaster resilience), and education. We can reduce wasteful programs and redundant federal layers while reforming tax breaks that disproportionately benefit the wealthy.

How do you plan to ensure affordability for Texans in the day-to-day as well as in the housing market? I will champion federal incentives for affordable housing construction, property tax reform, expanded renter and homeowner tax credits, and targeted investments to reduce insurance and utility costs that burden families.

What should Congress do, if anything, to address health care costs and access? Congress must strengthen protections for pre-existing conditions, expand coverage options including Medicaid incentives, empower Medicare negotiation of drug prices, and invest in mental health and rural care. Broad bipartisan concern for rising healthcare costs underscores urgency.

What should Congress do, if anything, to address security along the U.S.-Mexico border and immigration policy? Congress should fund modern border technology and staffing, streamline legal immigration pathways, enhance asylum processing, and work collaboratively with Texas communities to secure the border while treating migrants humanely and strengthening commerce.

What should Congress do to ensure safety and success in Texas classrooms? Invest in equitable public school funding, teacher recruitment/retention incentives, mental health support, technology access, and career pathways that prepare students for 21st-century jobs, while keeping classrooms safe and focused on learning.

How would you approach foreign policy as a U.S. senator? I would pursue principled leadership that supports democratic allies, strengthens international partnerships, counters authoritarian threats, and promotes trade that benefits Texas jobs and national security.

What steps, if any, should the Senate take to prepare for the rise of artificial intelligence? The Senate should advance ethical AI frameworks, protect privacy, establish clear accountability, invest in workforce retraining programs, and ensure innovation benefits all sectors without undermining safety or civil liberties.

Jasmine Crockett

Age (as of March 3, 2026): 44

Campaign website: jasmineforus.com

Best way for voters to reach you: info@jasmineforus.com

Occupation: Congresswoman for Texas’ 30th Congressional District

Education: B.A. Business Administration, Rhodes College, 2003 J.D. University of Houston, School of Law, 2006

Have you run for elected office before? 2008 Bowie County District Attorney 2010 Bowie County Democratic Party Chair 2020 Texas State Representative, HD100 2022 US House of Representatives, TX30 2024 US House of Representatives, TX30

Please list the highlights of your civic involvement/activism in Texas: As a young public defender in rural East Texas, I volunteered with the Teen Court program, taught financial courses through Junior Achievement, and sat on the board of the Texarkana Boys & Girls Club. I was so inspired by Barack Obama’s campaign that I started knocking doors, organizing my community, and was elected Bowie County Democratic Party Chair. I know what it means to live and organize in rural Texas. I moved to Dallas to open my civil rights law firm. I served as the President of the Dallas Black Criminal Bar Association and on the board of Metrocare Services, the largest provider of mental health services in North Texas. In the midst of the protests for George Floyd & Breonna Taylor, I represented over 600 protestors pro bono. I’m a proud lifetime member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. a service organization. These are just a few highlights that evidence my priorities: supporting the most vulnerable, protecting constitutional rights, and investing in future generations.

Have you ever been arrested, charged with a crime or otherwise been part of a criminal proceeding? I have been involved in criminal proceedings as an attorney. I have never been arrested or charged with a crime.

Have you been involved in a civil lawsuit or bankruptcy proceeding? I have been involved in civil lawsuits as an attorney. I’ve not been involved in any civil lawsuits outside of my law practice and I’ve never declared bankruptcy.

Who are your top three campaign contributors?

Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi

Les Weisbrod

Jack Matthews

Why are you seeking this office? Texas and the nation are heading in the wrong direction under the current leadership. Prices have tripled, healthcare is inaccessible as we close more rural hospitals than any other state, and the American Dream slides further out of reach. The job of a US Senator is to show up and deliver for all Texans while defending each and every one of us. That’s what I’ve done as a State Representative, a member of the US House of Representatives, and it’s what I’ll continue to do in the Senate, on your behalf. Trump’s tariffs have hit Texas harder than any other state. His unfair tax policies allow billionaires to pay nothing, while the middle class and working families are taxed out of house and home. I’m running because I can reassemble the winning democratic coalition in Texas, defeat the Republicans, and get Texas back on track. I am running for U.S. Senate to stand up for all of us across this state. To fight for economic opportunity, fair representation, and to be a check on lawlessness.

If elected, what would your top 3 policy priorities be? As the number one state for exports, tariffs have hit us the hardest — while also causing prices to skyrocket for housing, groceries, and prescriptions. I will work to repeal the tariffs and reform the tax code so the wealthy pay their fair share while delivering tax relief for the middle class and working families. We’re one of the top states for high rent, foreclosures, farmers & ranchers are filing record bankruptcies and their suicide rate is alarmingly high. Sadly enough, Texas is also the number one state for rural hospital closures and has the highest number of uninsured folks. My top priorities will be tackling the affordability crisis on day one; fixing our broken healthcare system to ensure everyone can afford to access the healthcare they need, when they need it; and comprehensive immigration reform prioritizing a secure, timely, and easy to navigate pathway to legal status/citizenship, while investing in technologies and personnel at the border to keep drug traffickers out.

How will you measure your success as a U.S. senator? For me it boils down to the satisfaction of my constituents, the level of accessibility and accountability I will bring to this office, and the wins I will secure for our state through policies as well as bringing home federal investments. You know me for being a clear voice in Congress. What doesn’t make headlines is the quiet work I do when the cameras are not around. I’ve brought back millions of dollars for cities, counties, infrastructure, safety, and jobs in my district. I secured the award of only one of three ARPA-H facilities in the entire country. The medical research hub is in my district with “spokes” across this state to benefit all of Texas. I have always held town halls and mobile office hours where we meet people where they are and let them know how we can be of service. My office has resolved thousands of constituent cases, connected small businesses and non-profits to federal grant dollars, and demanded that opportunities are reaching every community.

Why should voters choose you over your opponents? What sets me apart is my experience as an attorney of 20 years and as the only candidate who has served on both the state and federal levels. The San Antonio Express News highlighted my “policy depth” when endorsing me, citing my “experience in Congress is a key difference.” I’ve been in the belly of the beast and am already doing the work on the federal level. When faced with tough votes, you know where I’ll stand because I have a record of fighting for affordability, healthcare, and for the middle class and working families. I serve on the Judiciary and the Oversight & Accountability Committees where I connect the dots between failed policies and the people’s pain. My record is clear in Congress and the Texas House: I know how to fight for you and serve the best interest of all Texans. We deserve a battle-tested fighter to show Washington why you don’t mess with Texas.

As a U.S. senator, how would you interact and work with members of the opposite party? Are there specific policy ideas where you see opportunities for bipartisanship? You may have seen Ken Paxton’s AI-generated attack ad against me and Senator Cornyn for our record of bipartisan collaboration. Biden signed our Grant Transparency Act into law. We’ve worked together to stop fentanyl deaths and address hunger in Texas. I worked closely with former Rep. Kay Granger to secure multi-million dollar investments for my Congressional District. On the Agriculture Committee, I worked across the aisle to improve the Farm Bill and filed the Next Generation of Farmers Act with Rep. Zachary Nunn who Trump has called “100% MAGA.” My entire career, from the court house to the US House, I’ve worked to find consensus and common ground. I bring people to the table and hear all views because that is what representation means. I believe we can collaborate with Republicans productively to address AI and data centers that are draining our natural resources; we can strengthen Texas’ vibrant agribusiness industry; and boost our standing as the energy capital of the world.

What is the biggest challenge facing Texas? How would you address it if elected? Texans are facing an affordability crisis. The bills keep going up while paychecks remain the same. Whether it’s the rent or mortgage, the groceries, prescriptions, the car note, insurance, and the utilities. It costs more today. On top of that, child care has become a second mortgage as has caring for your elders. This is the first generation of Americans who are worse off than their parents. Young people feel hopeless about their ability to buy a home, start a business, or raise a family. We need more housing supply in Texas to meet the demand and bring down the costs. We must first repeal the tariffs that are increasing the cost of new homes for both builders and buyers. In addition, I’ve supported funding financial assistance for first-time homebuyers and those who want to start or grow their small business. In Congress, I cosponsored the Raise the Wage Act, Child Care For Working Families Act, and more to address these topics. More than I can include under the word limit.

What should be prioritized in federal spending that Texans care about, and what, if anything, do you believe should receive less budget allocations? I’d like to see more funding for HUD & USDA’s Rural Housing Service which is vital to address the housing crisis. Of course, more for ACA and Medicare expansion to cut healthcare costs. Some more niche areas to reflect Texas priorities in the federal budget: LIHEAP funding to increase energy assistance in hot weather, the treatment of beef cattle in the Farm Bill, and increased funding for Title I schools to counter the disinvestment in our public schools being perpetrated by Governor Abbott’s voucher scam. I voted against giving your money to ICE which has become a rogue agency. We must rescind the funding for new ICE agents in the OBBA that operate outside the regular appropriations process so that Congress can act as a check on the Executive by holding the purse strings. We are more than capable of internal immigration enforcement through the regular appropriations process. Texans want an orderly immigration system, not the fear and chaos sewn by the surge of untrained ICE recruits.

How do you plan to ensure affordability for Texans in the day-to-day as well as in the housing market? To address the shortage of housing, we should invest in the HOME program and expand funding for affordable housing production and preservation at USDA. Rent burdens can be reduced through more money for the Housing Choice Voucher program to remove its waitlist. Rural rental assistance can be provided through increased USDA funding. Mortgage payments can also be reduced through a variety of federal mechanisms, including reforms to FHA Mortgage Insurance Premiums, increasing the availability of Foreclosure Mitigation Counselors, and providing funding for certain home repairs, allowing your dollars to stretch farther. And the cost to obtain a mortgage could be reduced through increasing primary and secondary support for loans under $100,000 and piloting a program to provide first-time, first-generation homebuyers with downpayment and closing cost assistance, and interest rate buydowns. These are just a sample of the proposals I will fight for to lower Texans’ housing costs.

What should Congress do, if anything, to address health care costs and access? Congress must act immediately to extend the ACA health insurance subsidies. When our current Senator had the power to do so, he instead chose to strip insurance away from small business owners, gig workers, and millions of Texans who are now facing premium hikes as much as 2000%. Even then, however, millions would still be unable to access healthcare, which is why we must pass comprehensive healthcare reform. I cosponsor the COVER NOW Act which allows counties to expand Medicaid even if Governor Abbott won’t. Not only will this allow people unable to afford insurance (which is a significant contributor to the unacceptable maternal mortality crisis in Texas) but with more people in the pool, this would drive down actual healthcare costs as well.

What should Congress do, if anything, to address security along the U.S.-Mexico border and immigration policy? The vibrancy of Texas communities is our strength and we benefit from the vitality of first-generation Texans. Immigration reform and smart border policy is long overdue. I support immigration reform that prioritizes a secure, timely, and easy to navigate pathway to citizenship for tax-paying, law-abiding Texans who have lived in this country without issue for years. I want a concerted effort to quickly clear the decades-long backlog of immigration cases along with quickly processing incoming asylum claims. I support efficient tools to secure the border such as infrared, drone, anti-drone, and other smart technology to catch human trafficking as well as the smuggling of guns and narcotics across the border. Along with an orderly and speedy asylum review process. That is how we fix our immigration system, not by dehumanizing and unconstitutionally attempting to de-naturalize American citizens while letting untrained ICE recruits terrorize the country.

What should Congress do to ensure safety and success in Texas classrooms? We need a national standard for law enforcement training when responding to the scourge of school shootings to ensure nothing like the tragedy in Uvalde can ever happen again. As a gun owner, I also acknowledge we need to do better about gun safety. I’ve introduced legislation in Texas to close gun loopholes, I’ve sponsored more on the federal level as well so kids can feel safe at school, the movies, the mall, and at church. To ensure success in Texas classrooms, we must first address the emergency facing far too many districts that are having to implement hiring freezes, putting our kiddos in a no-win situation where despite educators best efforts, they can’t get the resources they need, especially for our ESL and IEP kiddos. Post-graduation pathways are also vital to ensure our kids reap the full benefits of public education. This goes down to the foundations of addressing the growing literacy and numeracy crisis, including recovering from COVID-era and post-COVID learning loss.

How would you approach foreign policy as a U.S. senator? My foreign policy focus would be addressing the threat Trump has brought about to our economy and national security by driving traditional U.S. allies away from us and into the arms of our rivals. This means reasserting the Senate’s role in foreign affairs by the passage of both War Powers Resolutions that would constrain Trump’s ability to gamble with the lives of our service members by throwing them into needless wars and legislation clarifying that Trump doesn’t have authority to impose his tariffs through IEEPA.

We must also work to rebuild and expand economic relationships with countries big and small. As tariffs provoke backlash and global trade uncertainty, markets for Texas exports have been curtailed, clipping the wings of our economy. When I served on the House Agriculture Committee, I supported the expansion of programs to increase demand for U.S. commodities. In the Senate, I will continue to find ways to deepen economic ties between Texas and the rest of the world.

What steps, if any, should the Senate take to prepare for the rise of artificial intelligence? To address current harms caused by deepfakes, we need to create and require a universally applied technical standard for watermarking AI-generated media. More broadly, as AI continues to slow hiring across industries, it is essential we reverse Trump’s attacks on our robust entrepreneurial ecosystem to ensure we are creating new jobs. The U.S. has faced technological upheaval before, but we always out-innovated, creating jobs in industries we couldn’t even imagine existing 10 years before.

Moreover, we must not forget that AI relies on physical data centers often located in rural communities like where I lived in east Texas. That is why I support requiring these data centers to invest in the infrastructure upgrades, from water treatment to noise abatement, needed to ensure rural residents share in the prosperity these data centers create, not just bear the burden for the natural resources they drain.

James Talarico

Age (as of March 3): 36

Campaign website: jamestalarico.com

Best way for voters to reach you: You can reach me at info@jamestalarico.com. We welcome feedback on our policy platform here as well.

Occupation: Texas State Representative and Presbyterian seminarian

Education: University of Texas at Austin (BA), Harvard University (MEd), Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary (in progress)

Have you run for elected office before? Texas State House, 52nd district (2018, 2020); Texas State House, 50th district (2022, 2024)

Please list the highlights of your civic involvement/activism in Texas:

Texas State Representative

Former Teacher, Rhodes Middle School

Passed legislation to lower the cost of prescriptions by capping insulin at $25 and importing cheaper prescription drugs from Canada

Passed legislation to lower the cost of early childhood education by giving a property tax break to child care centers

Passed legislation to lower the cost of housing by allowing for single-stair units

Have you ever been arrested, charged with a crime or otherwise been part of a criminal proceeding? No

Have you been involved in a civil lawsuit or bankruptcy proceeding? No

Who are your top three campaign contributors? Since we kicked off this campaign, we have raised more than $13 million. Our campaign has received more than 340,000 donations from a staggering 215,000+ individual contributors from 240 counties in Texas and all 50 states.

98% of contributions to the campaign have been for $100 or less. Of the $13 million raised, zero dollars came from corporate PACs. The most common profession among our contributors has been teachers.

Why are you seeking this office? Before I was a politician, I was a public school teacher.

The Texas Legislature had just gutted the public education budget by $5 billion, directly hurting my students. In the richest country on the planet, I knew it was unacceptable for public services to be slashed like that — so I ran for office to fight back.

I led the fight against Governor Abbott’s billionaire-backed voucher scam that aims to defund our public schools to subsidize private education for the wealthiest Texans. I’ve stood against Christian Nationalist legislation that marginalizes our neighbors.

Now I’m running for the US Senate to take back power for working Texans. As a Presbyterian seminarian and the grandson of a Baptist preacher, I’m called to public service to fight for the people of Texas — no matter what it takes.

If elected, what would your top 3 policy priorities be?

Democracy & Corruption: As a U.S. Senator, I will prioritize legislation to cap campaign contributions at every level of government, ban super PACs, and ban partisan gerrymandering so that every American has an equal say in our politics.

Cost of Living: I’m putting forth an ambitious agenda to close tax loopholes and make the wealthiest Americans and giant corporations pay their fair share. I support raising the minimum wage to $15 per hour, restoring the Child Tax Credit, protecting Energy Star to reduce utility bills, expanding Medicaid, and expanding the Earned Income Tax Credit and Low-Income Housing Tax Credit to lower costs for working families.

Public Schools: I am committed to strengthening our public schools and fighting back against a national voucher scam that will defund schools. I’ll fight for universal early childhood education and ensure childcare is affordable for low and middle-income families. I’ll prioritize policies that recruit and retain high-quality teachers.

How will you measure your success as a U.S. senator? I will measure my success by how I’m able to fight for my constituents and meet their needs. Texans are my boss, and I hope they hold me accountable.

I have held the strong belief over the course of my legislative career that good governance depends on deep listening and honest dialogue, and that is why my office in the Texas House has held the reputation of welcoming people from every community to have a voice in our office and our policy-making. I am continuing this commitment by holding regular town halls across the state to give Texans an avenue to engage with me directly in person.

I’ve already been meeting Texans where they are. In this campaign, I’ve been criss-crossing the state, barnstorming in every community to ensure the people I am fighting to serve have a direct line of communication to me. In the Senate, I would want all 30 million Texans to know that they have a friend and a fighter in me.

Why should voters choose you over your opponents? I’ve spent my career in public service. I’m a former middle school teacher, and I’ve served in the Texas House for eight years. As a legislator, I’ve delivered major victories to make Texas more affordable — passing legislation to cap insulin at $25, import cheaper prescription drugs from Canada, lower the cost of early childhood education by giving a property tax break to child care centers, and lower the cost of housing by allowing for single-stair units.

I’ve also gone toe-to-toe with colleagues in committee and floor debates to stop harmful bills from becoming law.

I’ve led the fight against billionaire mega-donors like Tim Dunn and Farris Wilks, who are spending their fortunes trying to privatize our public schools and force their Christian Nationalist agenda on the people of Texas. I was named a Top 10 Legislator by Texas Monthly magazine for being able to both fight back and get things done.

As a U.S. senator, how would you interact and work with members of the opposite party? Are there specific policy ideas where you see opportunities for bipartisanship?

I can both fight back and work across the aisle to get things done.

I led the fight against Gov. Abbott’s billionaire-backed voucher scam that defunds our public schools to subsidize private education for the wealthiest Texans. I broke quorum twice with my Democratic colleagues to fight back against voter suppression. I’ve led the fight against Christian Nationalist legislation.

But I also know how to work across the aisle to pass life-changing legislation. Despite being a Democrat in the legislature, I’ve passed over 30 bipartisan bills. These victories include an insulin co-pay cap, new money for public schools, lowering the cost of health care and child care, opening up mental health programs, connecting young adults to job opportunities, and reforming our juvenile justice system.

I’m experienced with using all the tools at my disposal to get a good bill passed or to fight back against dangerous legislation. I know how to do this kind of work because I’ve done it before.

What is the biggest challenge facing Texas? How would you address it if elected? The biggest challenge Texas faces is the cost of living. The richest 1% of Americans now own more wealth than the entire middle class. Dozens of the largest corporations pay zero dollars in federal income taxes. They lobby for policies that cut their own taxes while raising taxes on all of us. And they lobby against regulations that would stop them from monopolizing markets and artificially jacking up prices.

We need a government that serves working people. And we need a government that rolls back the barriers keeping us from living the American dream.

We can end the tax loopholes that allow billionaires and giant corporations to cut their own taxes while raising taxes on all of us. We can use that money from taxing them their fair share to fully fund public schools and give every Texan a fair shot at a good job and the American dream. We can raise the minimum wage, lower the cost of health insurance and prescription drugs, increase access to homeownership, and so much more.

What should be prioritized in federal spending that Texans care about, and what, if anything, do you believe should receive less budget allocations? ICE is supposed to be immigration and customs enforcement, but instead it’s been turned into a secret police force that’s disappearing people off of our streets. Congress has paid for ICE’s reckless explosion in funding this year by cutting our health care. That is unacceptable.

I believe we must take back that funding for health care and completely rebuild immigration and customs enforcement in this country to ensure we are tracking down and arresting human traffickers and violent criminals — not moms, babies, and neighbors who contribute to our communities, pay taxes, and pose no threat to our safety.

How do you plan to ensure affordability for Texans in the day-to-day as well as in the housing market? I will lower grocery costs by standing up to attacks against SNAP and WIC, increasing oversight into mergers and acquisitions that artificially jack up prices, removing tariffs on produce that can’t be grown in the United States, and reducing barriers to entry for new grocery providers to increase market competition.

I will lower energy costs by diversifying our energy sources to drive down costs, expanding the Energy Star program that educates consumers about energy-efficient products, and modernizing the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program’s disbursement formula.

I will lower housing costs by stopping corporate landlords from engaging in market manipulation to hike rents artificially, banning Wall Street from buying up housing stock, expanding the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit, speeding up construction of new homes, and supporting legislation to lower property insurance costs.

What should Congress do, if anything, to address health care costs and access? Congress must act to address the skyrocketing costs of health care. I have a proposal called “Medicare for Y’all” that would allow every American to join Medicare, providing an affordable not-for-profit health care option for all, while bringing down costs for those who don’t participate by increasing competition with private insurance.

I will lower prescription drug costs by increasing price transparency and negotiating power to ensure fair pricing, incentivizing the development and approval of generic drugs, instituting caps on out-of-pocket costs, and regulating pharmacy benefit managers to ensure they’re not up-charging patients.

I will protect health coverage and lower premiums by protecting and improving the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and reversing the Trump Administration’s dangerous cuts to the ACA enhanced tax credits, Medicare, and Medicaid that are kicking 15 million Americans off their insurance and raising premiums for millions more.

What should Congress do, if anything, to address security along the U.S.-Mexico border and immigration policy? Our border should be like a front porch — it should have a welcome mat out front and a lock on the door. We can both welcome the stranger — refugees and folks who want to contribute to our economy and pursue the American dream — and we can keep people out who mean to do us harm.

We should be cracking down on the cartels, not our communities. We should be deporting gang members, not small business owners. We should be hunting down human traffickers, not moms and babies. We should be stopping illegal immigration, not curtailing avenues for legal immigration that can grow the economy.

I support creating a path to citizenship for the immigrants who have been here the longest, and groups like spouses and DREAMers, while allowing those who recently arrived to apply for temporary work permits if they are filling a job that will lower costs for Americans. We should also hire more judges to process asylum claims so that legitimate asylum seekers can get decisions on their cases much quicker.

What should Congress do to ensure safety and success in Texas classrooms? As a former public school teacher, I know that public schools at their best are designed to be the great equalizer. While we haven’t yet achieved that vision, I am committed to strengthening our public schools and fighting back against a national voucher scam that will defund schools to subsidize private education for the wealthiest Americans.

To start students off right, I’ll fight for universal early childhood education, including free pre-K for every three and four-year-old, and strong investments in childcare for children under three to ensure childcare is affordable for low and middle-income families.

I’ll support providing grants and other incentives to encourage public schools to adopt evidence-based strategies like phonics, early literacy programs, and 1:1 intensive tutoring. I’ll prioritize policies that recruit and retain high-quality teachers, and graduating students with the tools to make informed decisions about continuing their education or starting their careers.

How would you approach foreign policy as a U.S. senator? I will reject efforts to shut America off from the rest of the world — because I know it makes us weaker and less secure. I’m committed to working in partnership with our foreign allies and engaging in diplomacy that will help us prevent attacks on American soil and avoid unnecessary wars.

We should encourage more cooperation with our allies as a means to promote human rights, build more resilient supply chains to combat inflation, prevent nuclear proliferation, and protect America’s interests both at home and abroad.

I support restoring investments in diplomacy and international development. I will work to rebuild our relationships with foreign allies and ensure the State Department is fully funded and staffed. I support reversing the unlawful dismantling of the U.S. Agency for International Development, and restoring investments in programs that combat violence, famine, disease, and human suffering — recognizing that these investments are strategic to America’s interests.

What steps, if any, should the Senate take to prepare for the rise of artificial intelligence? While we want to protect America’s leadership in artificial intelligence, we are still grappling with how it will affect everything from how we work to how our children learn. We must protect Americans and establish clear, consistent laws for businesses.

I will require AI data centers to pay for their own energy infrastructure updates so those costs aren’t passed on to consumers, and pursue policies that ensure AI works for working people.

We must protect workers from invasive AI surveillance in the workplace and use AI to make jobs safer and less repetitive — rather than to eliminate them. I support creating pathways for workers to move into higher-skilled, better-paying roles as the economy evolves. We must ensure AI companies follow the same copyright laws as everyone else, include worker voices in government-funded AI research and development, and defend the right to transparency and human review for automated decision-making around promotions, discipline, and terminations.

This story was originally published February 14, 2026 at 3:00 AM.