Democrats Running for U.S. Senate in Texas Call for Overhaul of ICE
Jasmine Crockett and James Talarico agreed that violent immigration agents required to be held accountable, despite their divergent political styles during a debate. The top two Democratic candidates for U.S. Senate in Texas showcased their disagreements over political tactics and style on Saturday, in the first debate of a primary race that has drawn national interest as an early test of the party’s direction in 2026.
In the debate, which took place just a few hours after a 37-year-old man was fatally shot by federal agents in Minnesota, the candidates, Jasmine Crockett and James Talarico, directed their sharpest words not at each other but rather at the Trump administration and the aggressive tactics of Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents on American streets. “It’s time to tear down this secret police force,” said Mr. Talarico, a state representative, has attracted attention for his progressive Christian faith. “We need to prosecute agents who have abused their power. We have to haul these masked men before Congress so the world can see their faces.”
Ms. Crockett, a vocal American Representative with a national following, said that immigration agents were “turning us into Nazi Germany” with tactics that included going door to door and “going after people because of their accent or the color of their skin.” She went on to say, “We absolutely must clean house.” The two candidates are young, media-savvy politicians who generally agree on policy issues like opposing President Trump’s foreign policy adventurism and raising taxes on billionaires.
Since no Democrat has ever won a race for statewide office in Texas in the past three decades, the race has instead focused on their distinct strategies for victory. Underscoring the importance of that difference, the debate, which was held by the Texas AFL-CIO on a stage outside Austin, began with the subject of electability.
Ms. stated, “I will do the daring things that the political consultants will never tell you to do.” Crockett, who at times had trouble fitting in her responses to questions within the allotted time. It doesn’t matter who sounds the cleanest. It’s about getting inside this moment’s rawness. Ms. Crockett, a 44-year-old former defense attorney, is betting that her willingness to argue with Republicans in the House and her ability to garner attention online will bring new voters to the polls.
Additionally, Crockett is betting that she will be able to convince Democrats to turn out who might have otherwise stayed home to vote. Despite the fact that she has only been in the race for a month, she is already more well-known among Democrats than her opponent. Ms., that was a point. Crockett made herself, in remarks that approached criticism of Mr. Talarico.
She stated, “He’s not as well known right now, because I have engaged in these fights.”
In Belle Burden’s Own Words: Inside an Exploding Marriage By contrast, Mr. Talarico, 36, a seminarian and former middle school teacher, has been running a campaign to appeal to Democrats as well as middle-of-the-road voters and Republicans who are dissatisfied with the administration under Trump. He focused a lot of the discussion on his partnership with Ms. Crockett on issues, while attacking “billionaires,” whom he said were ruining politics and making life unaffordable for Americans.
“We’re not writing off any voter or any community,” Mr. What Talarico said “We will not win this race in November with the same old politics of division. Billionaires want us looking left and right at each other, so we’re not looking up at them.”
Early voting in the Texas primaries begins Feb. 17.
Democrats see an opportunity in Texas this year, which is why the argument within the party about who would offer the best chance of victory against a Republican candidate has been so acute.
At times, supporters of Mr. Talarico and Ms. On the internet, Crocketts have argued with one another. But the candidates know that whoever wins the March 3 primary will need their rival’s supporters as well as their own in order to win what will probably be a close general election race in November.
The fact that Republicans have had even more internal conflict during their primary campaign gives Democrats hope. Senator John Cornyn has been engaged in vicious verbal exchanges with Attorney General Ken Paxton, his primary challenger, and U.S. Wesley Hunt, the representative. Their primary is likely to go to a runoff, extending the G.O.P. intramural fight to the end of May.
“We have a moral obligation to win in November,” Mr. Talarico said in his closing remarks on Saturday.
Ms. Crockett similarly closed by citing the high stakes she saw in both the election and the political fights to come in Washington.
She said, referring to a recent death threat she had received and the killing of two people in Minnesota by federal agents, “Whoever goes to the United States Senate is going to have to be ready for real war.” “I am here to tell you that it is life or death.”
