Staff Reports
U.S. Representative Jasmine Crockett’s leadership PAC dropped a list of endorsements this week — and the most obvious name missing wasn’t an accident. Her Fueling Individual Rights Everywhere (FIRE) PAC endorsed a slate of down‑ballot Texas candidates but left off State Rep. James Talarico, the Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate who beat Crockett in the primary. The omission touched off a small but noisy intraparty spat that says a lot about tone-deaf politics and Democratic disunity in Texas.
What Crockett’s FIRE PAC actually did
The slate Crockett’s PAC released was clearly aimed at local and state legislative races, not the top of the ticket. That’s a defensible strategy on its face — small PACs with small war chests should focus where they can make a real difference. But that strategic explanation looks thin when the party’s own Senate nominee is absent and Crockett has the platform and profile to help rally voters. Critics point out the FIRE PAC’s modest fundraising and wonder whether this was a principled down‑ballot move or a pointed snub.
How Democrats reacted — and how Crockett responded
Reaction inside her own party was swift and salty. Former U.S. Representative Susan Wild publicly blasted Crockett in blunt language, calling the move narcissistic and selfish. Crockett replied on social media, accusing reporters of riding the “tabloid lane” and suggesting they cover Republican nominee Ken Paxton instead. Translation: she knows how to throw shade and headlines, but she still hasn’t cleared up whether this was strategy or spite.
Why the omission matters for the Texas Senate race
This isn’t merely a backstage squabble. Texas is a battleground where turnout and unity matter, especially among Black and suburban voters who helped fuel Democratic primaries. When a high‑profile Democrat with a national voice publicly refuses to endorse the party’s Senate nominee, it hands Republicans an easy talking point about division and weak leadership. If Crockett truly wants to help down‑ballot Democrats, fine — but don’t pretend a headline‑grabbing omission won’t have consequences in November.
In the end, Democrats need to decide whether they’ll knit themselves back together before voters decide for them. Crockett can keep playing to the cameras or she can use her platform to lift the party where it counts. If she chooses the former, Republicans will happily point to the drama while they make their case at the ballot box. That would be a shame — and a predictable one.
