Jasmine Crockett vs. James Talarico: Top takeaways from Texas Senate debate
The leading Democratic candidates for the U.S. Senate seat in Texas made their cases to voters on Saturday in their first head-to-head debate, where the candidates discussed issues like immigration, affordability and data centers.
Jasmine Crockett, an attorney and Congress member from Dallas, jumped into the race on Dec. 8, the last day of candidate filing, teeing up a bid against James Talarico, a state representative from Austin and former public school teacher and seminary graduate.
Crockett is a rising star in the party, known for holding no punches as she takes on Republicans, including President Donald Trump. Talarico has earned a reputation as mild-mannered and has framed his campaign as focusing on the “top vs. bottom” — the billionaires vs. the everyday person — rather than the “left vs. right.”
Their varying brands of a Democratic politician have drawn national attention, as the party hopes to flip one of Texas’ two U.S. Senate seats blue.
On the Republican side, candidates are in a heated primary of their own, as incumbent Sen. John Cornyn faces Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and U.S. Rep. Wesley Hunt from Houston.
Ahmad Hassan from Katy is also on the Democratic primary ballot.
The winners of the primaries will face each other in the November general election.
With early voting starting Feb. 17, Saturday’s hour-long debate was one the best opportunities for the Democratic candidates to get their messages to voters in mass.
Early voting continues through Feb 27. The primary election is March 3.
Here are some of the key takeaways and highlights from the showdown.
A different style of Democratic candidate
Early on in the debate, moderators asked the candidates about their varying political styles, highlighting Crockett’s view that authenticity is her political superpower, as well as a viral clash between Crockett and U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Green and a comment in which she referred to Gov. Greg Abbott, who uses a wheelchair, as “Governor hot wheels.”
Crockett, who served in the Texas House before moving to Congress, was asked why that’s the right style to win the Senate seat.
“Listen, we are not looking at politics as usual,” Crockett said. “Just today, we just had another person gunned down in the streets in Minneapolis, and so for anyone that believes that we are going to be able to respond to this in a normal way, I think that they’ve got it wrong.”
People are not happy with the Democratic Party, Crockett said. Texans want someone who is “going to be unafraid in the face of what we are facing right now, which is someone who believes he’s a king,” she said.
Asked about political risks, Crockett latest said she will “do the edgy things” that political consultants advise against. People are hurting, she said.
“Right now, to be perfectly honest, if we’re going to win and keep our country, we’re going to need somebody who can file bills but who also knows how to be a street fighter,” Crockett said.
Talarico said he and Crockett both agree that they have a “moral imperative” to win the Senate election in November.
Moderators pressed Talarico on whether his “Love God, love your neighbor” approach to campaigning is the correct one, when many Democrats want a fighter.
Talarico countered that he has a record of being a fighter in the Texas House, where he battled policies like vouchers for public schools.
“Here’s the risk I’m willing to take: Crockett and I are on the same team,” Talarico said. “I think we have already seen in this debate that there’s going to be temptation by the media to pit us against each other, but we are all focused on the same goal, which is winning in November and stopping a Sen. Ken Paxton.”
Debate viewers will probably see he and Crockett agree on issues more than they disagree, Talarico said.
“That unity is a threat to the billionaires who want to put us all against each other and, and who right now are running this country, running this economy, and we need someone who has stood up to those billionaires in our nation’s capitol.”
Texas candidates’ take on Minneapolis shooting, defunding ICE
The debate came soon after reports of federal immigration agents shooting and killing a man in Minneapolis, weeks after Renee Good was shot and killed by an immigration officer in the city.
The candidates addressed whether they support defunding or abolishing federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
“We absolutely have to clean house,” Crockett said. “Whatever that looks like, I am willing to do it. Because if there are truly Proud Boys that are currently in ICE, that’s a problem.”
Talarico said the country has seen a historic increase in ICE funding.
“That money has come out of our health care, so what I would say is that we should take that money back and put it in our communities where it belongs,” Talarico said.
Both candidates condemned recent actions taken by ICE.
“They are supposed to do immigration and customs enforcement,” Crockett said. “Not going after U.S. citizens. Not going after people that are documented. That is not what they are supposed to do, but that is what they’re doing. They are turning us into Nazi Germany by saying they’re going to go door to door.”
Talarico said the country’s southern border should be like a front porch.
“There should be a giant welcome mat out front and a lock on the door,” he said. “We can welcome immigrants who want to live the American dream. We can build a pathway to citizenship for those neighbors who have been here making us richer and stronger, and we can keep out people who mean to do us harm.”
Proliferation of data centers in Texas
The development of data centers across the state, including in North Texas, have raised concerns with many Texans, in a state known for its business-friendly climate.
Crockett said there needs to be a “framework” around data centers and policies should be done on the federal level, as well as locally.
“We have to work at every single level of government,” Crockett said. “With our state and our city and our county levels, because we’re going to need some zoning put into place.”
She later added that communities members must be protected from dangers associated with the centers.
Talarico said he was recently in Amarillo, where community members approached him about concerns they have about a data center project.
“In the U.S. Senate, I will fight to make sure that these AI companies pay for their own energy, and they don’t pass it along to consumers,” Talarico said. “And, I’ll make sure that we work on sustainable water infrastructure because Texas is running out of water, and these data centers are exasperating the problem.”
He continued, “We should tax these companies. We should tax these technologies to pay for that kind of infrastructure.”
Affordability for Texans
The candidates were each asked for one policy they’d prioritize to bring costs down for Texans.
“If I had to go with just one, it would be tariffs, and we have to roll back these tariffs right now,” Crockett said, pointing to struggling farmers, impacts on the Port of Houston, shuttering businesses.
Talarico, offering a few ideas, said he’d repeal the “Trump tariffs,” put caps on life-saving medication to bring prices down and reduce child care costs.
“To reduce the cost of child care, we’ve got to finally provide universal early childhood education to every single child in this country,” Talarico said.
He added that he’d work to “ban Wall Street from gobbling up our housing stock in this country.”
Gambling money from Mavericks owner
As the debate neared its end, Talarico was asked about campaign finance reports that show he accepted money from the Texas Sands PAC as a candidate for the Texas House.
The group, which is funded by billionaire and Dallas Mavericks owner Mirian Adelson, has pushed for the expansion of casinos in Texas.
Talarico said he’s “never taken a contribution” from Adelson, who is a major Trump donor.
“Never met her,” he said. “Don’t know her. Don’t plan to meet her. But I do support legalized gambling in Texas. I think it’s good public policy. I think it will bring good jobs. I think it will bring desperately needed tax revenue into our Texas public schools.”
Talarico, who has vowed to not accept corporate PAC money, said he supports banning corporate PACs and super PACs, and thinks members of Congress should be banned from trading stocks.
Crockett was asked about donations from PACs and companies like Lockheed Martin, Blue Cross Blue Shield and JPMorgan.
Crockett said many companies she’s taken money from have ties to Texas and her district.
“But I do want to be clear,” she said. “I want to win.”
Crockett said she’s donated hundreds of thousands to support down ballot candidates and help them win their elections.
“I’m committed to making sure that no vote that I ever take has anything to do with somebody giving me a check,” Crockett said.
This story was originally published January 24, 2026 at 4:44 PM.
