Staff Reports
Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett quietly filed the paperwork to run for the U.S. Senate from Texas on the last day of qualifying, throwing her high-profile persona into a race that should be about results, not headlines. Her timing — a last-minute entry on December 8, 2025 — looks more like political theater than a serious statewide campaign and instantly nationalizes a contest Texans will decide at the ballot box.
Her launch video leaned into chaos: footage cut to former President Trump’s voice calling her a “very low IQ person,” and Crockett simply smiled into the camera, signaling she will make ridicule and grievance the centerpiece of her messaging. That kind of stunt plays well on social media and late-night clips, but it’s not a platform for governing, and it shows she’s more interested in celebrity than building the coalitions needed to win statewide in Texas.
Democrats hail Crockett as a bold fighter, but boldness without a pragmatic plan is just noise. Texas remains a tough terrain for Democrats, and national Democrats’ hopes to flip a Senate seat here depend on a perfect storm of Republican missteps and legal chaos — not on viral moments or virtue-signaling campaign ads.
On the Republican side, veteran Sen. John Cornyn faces primary challengers including Attorney General Ken Paxton and Rep. Wesley Hunt, making the GOP primary unusually combustible and giving Democrats an opening they’ve long sought. But Democrats’ path often pretends legal drama or scandal will hand them victory; relying on opponents’ misfortune is a poor substitute for articulating a conservative-friendly, common-sense appeal to working Texans.
Crockett’s recent reputation on Capitol Hill — a mix of theatrical clashes, profane committee outbursts, and headline-grabbing insults — will be used mercilessly by Republicans to paint her as unserious and radical. Those theatrical instincts might energize her progressive base, yet they risk alienating the suburban and rural voters who decide statewide races, especially in a state that rewards results over rhetoric.
The entry of Crockett into this contest spotlights a larger problem for national Democrats: the preference for culture-war candidates and performative outrage over competence and fiscal responsibility. Conservatives should use this moment to contrast stable, result-oriented leadership with the chaos of identity-driven campaigns, reminding voters that real people want lower costs, safer streets, and pragmatic solutions — not self-styled martyrs for grievance politics.
If Texans want substantive debate about day-to-day challenges — energy, schools, border security, and economic opportunity — they should be wary of being sold another social media spectacle. Jasmine Crockett’s launch may earn laughs or shares online, but hardworking Americans and proud Texans deserve candidates who deliver, not candidates who court ridicule and call it courage.
