This is one of a four-part series of surveys featuring candidates in the Democratic and Republican primaries for U.S. Senate and attorney general. See all of our resources for voting in the Texas primaries here.
In a rare opportunity for Texas Democrats, this year’s primary for U.S. Senate features a highly competitive race between two rising stars with national audiences and strong fundraising abilities.
U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett of Dallas is facing off against her former legislative colleague, state Rep. James Talarico of Austin, to be the party’s 2026 standard-bearer atop the ticket. The winner will face off against the prevailing Republican this November in what’s expected to be an uphill battle, given that no Democrat has won statewide office in Texas since 1994.
The stakes are high.
The U.S. Senate is currently made up of 53 Republicans and 47 Democrats, with Republican Vice President JD Vance able to cast tiebreaking votes. Turning Texas’ seat blue would be a major victory for Democrats that would simplify their difficult path to 51 seats and reestablish them as a viable opposition party in Texas, where Republicans have prevailed by wide margins in recent statewide elections.
U.S. senators are elected to six-year terms in Congress’ 100-member upper chamber. They vote on critical federal legislation, from annual spending bills to military policy to ratifying treaties. Presidential Cabinet and judicial appointments must be confirmed by the Senate.
To help primary voters distinguish between Crockett and Talarico, we asked the candidates to share their views on a variety of issues ranging from immigration and energy to taxes and artificial intelligence. See where they stand, and how they differ.
Jasmine Crockett
U.S. Representative, Dallas
💰 Campaign finance:
- Total raised since Senate launch: $6.5 million, which includes a $4.5 million transfer from her House campaign account.
- Total spent since Senate launch: $911,000
- Cash on hand as of Dec. 31: $5.6 million
💰 Top outside spending:
- N/A so far
🏢 Experience:
- Currently serving her second term in the U.S. House as the representative for Texas’ 30th Congressional District in Dallas
- Served one term in the Texas House beginning in 2021
- Worked as a criminal defense, civil rights and personal injury attorney in Dallas
- Elected Bowie County Democratic Party Chair in 2008 while working in East Texas as a public defender
📣 Endorsements:
- EMILYs List
- Service Employees International Union (SEIU)
- San Antonio Express-News editorial board
- State Rep. Ana-María Rodríguez Ramos, D-Richardson and chair of the Texas Legislative Progressive Caucus
- U.S. Rep. Ro Khanna, D-California
James Talarico
State Representative, Austin
💰 Campaign finance:
- Total raised since Senate launch: $13.1 million
- Total spent since Senate launch: $6 million
- Cash on hand as of Dec. 31: $7.1 million
💰 Top outside spending, according to federal filings:
- Lone Star Rising PAC: $930,000
🏢 Experience:
- Currently serving his fourth term in the Texas House, representing parts of North Austin
- Worked at Reasoning Mind, an education nonprofit
- Taught at Rhodes Middle School in the San Antonio Independent School District
📣 Endorsements:
- Houston Chronicle editorial board
- U.S. Rep. Julie Johnson, D-Dallas
- Bobby Pulido, candidate for Texas’ 15th Congressional District
- State Tejano Democrats, the largest Hispanic Democratic organization in Texas
- Houston LGBTQ+ Political Caucus
Q&A
Editor’s note: These responses have been lightly edited for clarity and length. Minor changes have been made, when necessary, to correct grammatical or spelling errors and ensure the text conforms with Tribune style.
Some Republicans, including Sen. Ted Cruz, want to bar states from regulating artificial intelligence, or AI, arguing that a patchwork of state rules — instead of a federal approach — would hinder innovation and disadvantage U.S.-based companies. Should the federal government preempt states from regulating AI?
Crockett
It is clear that AI needs to be regulated to protect American consumers and workers, prevent abuse such as deepfakes, and to ensure our data security. I believe there should be federal regulations in place to protect the civil rights and privacy of all Americans as a floor. States should continue having the power to regulate AI beyond what the federal government outlines. Texas has actually been able to lead in this space and Senator Cruz is out of touch with even Republican leaders in our state who recognize the need for comprehensive artificial intelligence regulations.
Talarico
No. In the Legislature, we established the AI Advisory Council to create guidelines for the responsible use of AI in state agencies — and these policies shouldn’t be preempted. In the Senate, I will support safeguards to keep kids safe online, like prohibiting platforms from using algorithms to send targeted content to minors and reining in social media’s broad immunity protections. I’ll champion legislation to protect workers from invasive AI surveillance in the workplace, use AI to make jobs safer and less repetitive instead of replacing them, and create pathways for workers to move into better-paying jobs as the economy evolves.
On health care, do you support: a) a single-payer system such as Medicare for All, b) the creation of a public option, c) expanding Medicare to include dental and vision benefits, or d) another option?
Crockett
I’m a proud cosponsor of Medicare For All because health care in our country is deeply broken. I support a single-payer system that centers patients, not profits, and includes dental, vision, mental, and reproductive health coverage. Being able to afford your health care and having insurance that’ll actually cover your needs is a priority for me. I support capping annual out-of-pocket costs and eliminating premiums, deductibles, and co-pays. I backed the Affordable Insulin Now Act, capping insulin at $35 per month, and cosponsored the Lower Drug Costs for Families Act. My message is clear: your health shouldn’t depend on your wallet.
Talarico
Universal health care is a human right. 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. It is unconscionable that D.C. Republicans are kicking people off their health insurance and raising premiums for millions of Texans in order to give yet another tax break for billionaires. I will work to protect the Affordable Care Act, expand Medicare to include dental and vision, and reverse the Trump administration’s health care cuts.
Some Democrats have pushed to expand the U.S. Supreme Court beyond its current bench of nine justices after President Trump successfully appointed three conservative judges during his first term. Do you support “packing” the Supreme Court by adding more justices?
Crockett
I serve on the Judiciary Committee, the Supreme Court Task Force and am a licensed attorney of 20 years. SCOTUS has changed size seven times before reaching the current nine justices; I’ve filed a bill to change it again. The last time the size of the court changed was 150 years ago, yet our country has grown, and there’s been a notable shift in the complexity of cases and an increase in the breadth of laws. Not only do we need to expand the court, but we also need ethics reform as this group of justices has revealed itself to be compromised.
Talarico
The Supreme Court has been corrupted and is no longer fully upholding our Constitution, respecting our democracy, or serving the American people. We must enact term limits for Supreme Court justices. We must implement a binding code of conduct for the Supreme Court that includes mandating ethics rules for recusals, financial disclosures, and limitations on accepting gifts.
Before the current ceasefire in the war against Hamas, some Democrats called for an end to offensive weapons sales to Israel, pointing to the soaring death toll in Gaza. Should the U.S. end weapons sales to Israel?
Crockett
I was one of the Democrats who had concerns about the escalation of the war and therefore in May of 2024 signed onto a letter regarding this issue that we sent to President Biden, as presidents have authority over who is able to purchase our weapons. Thus far, Trump has approved $13 billion in offensive weapons to Israel. I remain deeply concerned about the civilian death toll in places like Gaza, Sudan, The Congo, and Haiti.
Talarico
It is our duty as the most powerful democracy in the world to lead with moral clarity and prevent any U.S. funds from being used to harm civilians. We should stop offensive weapons sales to the Netanyahu government while supporting defensive systems like the Iron Dome, alongside agreements that American funds will not be used to harm civilians. We must use all of America’s financial and diplomatic leverage to secure a two-state solution that disarms Hamas, establishes a democratic Palestinian state, halts Israel’s illegal settlements, and respects the sovereignty of both nations.
A bipartisan group of House members is pushing for a vote on a bill to ban lawmakers from buying and selling individual stocks. Would you support an effort to ban members of Congress from owning or trading individual stocks?
Crockett
I am opposed to all forms of insider trading, including in and by the Congress. Texans work hard and the Congress should work harder — not give ourselves unfair advantages that aren’t available to the American people. I support all efforts to root out corruption and the influence of big money and shady private interests in our politics.
Talarico
Yes. In the Senate, I would vote to ban members of Congress from trading individual stocks, engaging in insider trading, and profiting from their positions. We must also close the revolving door of former members of Congress becoming lobbyists after leaving office to leverage their influence and insider knowledge to enrich themselves.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer has received blowback from some Democrats after agreeing to Republicans’ stopgap spending measure in March and then seeing a contingent of Democrats defect to end this fall’s government shutdown. Would you vote to reelect Schumer as Senate Democratic leader?
Crockett
I’ve taken enough caucus votes in Washington and Austin to know that this is a matter for after the midterm. That is a decision that will be made in 2027 with the consultation of my Democratic colleagues in the Senate. I do want to be clear, I was against ending the shutdown with an empty promise from Senate Republicans, and right now, Texans are suffering because health insurance costs have skyrocketed in an already unaffordable time. Right now, my only focus is on who is going to lead Texas and make life better for the 30 million people who live here.
Talarico
This problem is a lot bigger than one person. The problem is that our party has forgotten how to fight at the national level. Red- state Democrats — particularly Texas Democrats — are at the forefront of the fight to transform our party. As I said when the stopgap spending measure was negotiated: Any deal that kicks 1.4 million Texans off their health care isn’t compromise; it’s surrender. When voting for leader, I’ll do what Texans expect me to do: sit down with every candidate for the job and ask for a clear plan to fight and win.
President Trump’s 2017 tax law reduced the corporate tax rate from 35% to 21%. Should the rate be increased, lowered further or kept as is?
Crockett
I support reinstating the previous corporate tax rate for the largest corporations. I would like to see the tax rate maintained or lowered for small businesses that are the backbone of our economy. Once the top 1%, the billionaires, pay their fair share, we can fund robust health care, education, and assistance for first-time homebuyers and for entrepreneurs who want to start or grow their small business. We can also deliver tax relief to the middle and working class who are paying way more than our fair share in taxes while Elon Musk and Trump’s billionaire buddies do not.
Talarico
We should not be cutting taxes for the ultra-wealthy when the average American is struggling to get by. The corporate tax rate should absolutely be increased, as it has fallen by more than half since the 1980s. I would support legislation to end the “carried interest” tax loopholes that allow hedge funds to avoid paying billions that they owe, as well as rolling back other extreme tax breaks that allow the largest corporations to pay $0 in federal income taxes. I would also raise the tax on corporate stock buybacks, which corporations use to artificially inflate their stock prices.
In recent years, large companies have consolidated the tech industry and other economic sectors, prompting calls to break up major corporations, including Google, Meta and Amazon, and pursue more vigorous antitrust oversight. On this issue, do you support a) maintaining the status quo, b) having federal regulators more aggressively enforce existing antitrust laws, or c) breaking up certain large companies?
Crockett
I do not support monopolies in any industry, and that includes the tech sector. Monopolies hinder competition and prevent startups and small businesses from being able to participate. We need to break up monopolies while actually enforcing the antitrust laws we have with vigor to match the corporate landscape of today. When we boost competition, it leads to lower costs and more innovation. Monopolies lead to skyrocketing prices with little to no alternatives for consumers. When we talk about the tech sector, monopolies can also lead to echo chambers and restrictions on our free speech.
Talarico
Federal regulators must aggressively enforce existing antitrust laws — and in the Senate I will work with regulators to explore new ones. We must increase competition so a single company does not have as much power to set prices artificially high or take advantage of consumers. I also support increasing oversight of mergers and acquisitions and closing loopholes in antitrust laws that allow companies to coordinate and set unnecessarily high prices. Additionally, I would support reducing the barriers to entry that make it hard for new companies to enter the market and compete, in order to reduce prices.
The Dignity Act is a bipartisan House bill that would provide for the construction of physical barriers at the border, mandate employer use of E-Verify, expedite asylum processing, end catch-and-release, provide work authorization and protection from deportation to non-criminal undocumented immigrants who have been in the U.S. for five years, and offer permanent resident status to Dreamers. Would you support this framework?
Crockett
I support being smart on the border through investing in technology to identify bad actors and remove them, while increasing resources to quickly process asylum. I support comprehensive immigration reforms to create a pathway to legal status/citizenship that is secure, timely, and addresses the thousands of immigrants who followed our laws but fell out of status waiting for USCIS. Immigrants are part of Texas’ strength, contributing over $400 billion in economic activity, taxes, and Social Security. It shouldn’t cost $100,000 and take 30 years for someone who has played by the rules to earn their citizenship.
Talarico
I support this framework. Our border should be like a front porch — it should have a welcome mat and a lock on the door. We can both welcome the stranger and we can keep people out who mean to do us harm. ICE should go after gang members and human traffickers, not moms and babies — and we must hold agents accountable for abuses. We should reform the asylum system, modernize ports of entry to better detect threats before they come in, and make it easier for employers to legally hire migrant workers in sectors where they are struggling to hire Americans.
Oil and gas production soared under the Biden administration, and President Trump has moved to pull back regulations on the industry, open up more public lands for drilling and undercut Biden-era incentives for wind and solar. Do you support federal efforts to expand domestic oil and gas production?
Crockett
The road to American energy independence runs through Texas and will rely on using an “all of the above” approach to energy production. We have more wind power than any other state and are about to be the top in solar production as well. Rolling back the Biden-era tax incentives on these projects has already led to an increase in Texans’ utility bills. I am opposed to drilling on public lands, as public safety must be paramount. I am also concerned about the impact of Trump’s foreign policy on Texas’ energy economy. I support Midland, not Maduro.
Talarico
Texas is the state that put a man on the moon. We’re the state that pioneered ranching, computers, and modern energy. If any state can figure out how to grow our economy, lower costs, and combat climate change, it’s us. I will work tirelessly to ensure our state not only maintains, but extends our energy leadership so that Texans always have access to reliable, affordable energy. I would reinstate federal tax credits, loans, and other tools that diversify energy production and accelerate renewable energy development, and I would support streamlining permitting processes for certain energy projects without compromising environmental protections.
President Trump wanted to eliminate the Senate filibuster to reopen the government this fall, and Democrats previously sought to end the filibuster to push through bills on voting and reproductive rights. Do you think the filibuster should be eliminated?
Crockett
The Senate has historically created carveouts for the filibuster. There should be no hesitation to create the same carveouts for things as paramount as voting rights. You get no other rights without having a voice and vote. Right now, politicians are choosing their constituents instead of the other way around, allowing them to escape accountability from the very people they are supposed to serve. Otherwise, we will continue to have a government that works only for the privileged few.
Talarico
Yes, I support eliminating the current filibuster. It is stopping our country from fulfilling the will of the people to make progress on voting rights, worker rights, and so many more reforms that the American people overwhelmingly support. In order to ensure the minority’s voice is heard in Congress, I support retaining a talking filibuster — but the current rules are undermining our democracy.
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