Jasmine Crockett is the congresswoman who told Elon Musk to go to hell on camera, called Texas Governor Greg Abbott "Governor Hot Wheels" at a fundraiser, and falsely accused a Trump cabinet member of taking money from Jeffrey Epstein – then refused to apologize when she was caught.
Democrats in Texas just made her their frontrunner for US Senate.
A new University of Texas poll shows Crockett leading her primary opponent James Talarico by 12 points – and what Talarico tried in desperation to close that gap is one of the most transparent political stunts of 2026.
Talarico's Stephen Colbert Moment Raised $2.5 Million on a Claim CBS Denied
Talarico sat down for an interview with Stephen Colbert.
On Monday night, Colbert announced on air that CBS lawyers had told him not to broadcast it – citing concerns about running afoul of Trump administration regulators at the FCC. Talarico's campaign immediately declared that the Trump administration had silenced him, claiming Trump's FCC "colluded with corporate media executives at CBS to keep that interview off the air." The story dominated national headlines. His campaign raised $2.5 million in 24 hours.
Then CBS issued its own statement: "The Late Show was not prohibited by CBS from broadcasting the interview with Rep. James Talarico."
Its lawyers had provided standard legal guidance that airing the segment could trigger the FCC's equal-time rule – a requirement that has governed broadcast networks since 1934 – which would have obligated CBS to offer equivalent airtime to other Senate candidates in the race, including Crockett herself. Talarico's campaign collected the martyrdom and the money anyway, never mentioning that CBS had contradicted the entire premise of the outrage.
Texas Senate Democratic Primary Poll Had Crockett Up 12 Before Any of It Happened
The UT Texas Politics Project poll, conducted February 2–16 and released Wednesday, found Crockett leading Talarico 56 percent to 44 percent among likely Democratic primary voters.
The poll closed February 16. Early voting started February 17 – the same day the Colbert story went national. Every point of Crockett's commanding lead was built before Talarico's manufactured martyrdom moment existed.
Crockett's advantage rests on a coalition Talarico can't crack: 87 percent support from Black Democratic primary voters, a majority of seniors, and strong margins with voters without college degrees. Even Crockett acknowledged the controversy "probably gave him the boost he was looking for." Harris County's Democratic chair called a Talarico bump "undeniable."
It may not matter. A 12-point deficit is a steep climb in the final stretch of a primary – especially when the bump came after most of the polling period had already closed.
Jasmine Crockett's Record Against Republicans and What It Means for November
Crockett isn't just another Democrat.
She built her national profile on viral attacks against Republicans – the MTG hearing confrontation, the profanity-laced social media outbursts, the "Governor Hot Wheels" insult directed at a man in a wheelchair. Trump called her "a lowlife." The White House called her "unhinged." Republicans in Congress moved to censure her.
Her response to all of it was to argue that Democrats need to stop playing by the rules and start throwing punches – accuracy optional. When confronted about falsely naming EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin in the same breath as Jeffrey Epstein, she declined to apologize and insisted she never specified which Epstein she meant.
That's the candidate Texas Democrats are about to nominate for U.S. Senate.
She claims polling shows her competitive against Ken Paxton in a general election matchup. What's not in dispute is that the Democrat most likely to face Republicans in November is the one who has spent years making a career out of attacking conservatives on camera.
The establishment spent $60 million trying to stop Paxton in the GOP primary while Texas Democrats were quietly consolidating behind the most combative candidate they've fielded in a generation.
Texas conservatives have five days to make sure the right Republican is on the ballot to meet her.
Sources:
- Gabby Birenbaum, "Crockett leads Talarico by double digits in Texas Senate Democratic primary poll," The Texas Tribune, February 25, 2026.
- University of Texas Texas Politics Project, "February 2026 Texas Senate Primary Poll," February 16, 2026.
- "Texas Senate primary race between Crockett and Talarico ramps up after pulled Colbert interview," Associated Press, February 20, 2026.
- "CBS Denies Forcing Stephen Colbert to Not Air Interview With Democratic Candidate," Variety, February 17, 2026.
- "Rolling Controversy: Far-left Dem Jasmine Crockett faces week of backlash amid 'unhinged' comments," Fox News, March 2025.
- "Jasmine Crockett refuses to apologize or back down on rhetoric," Fox News, February 2026.
- "Jasmine Crockett backtracks after falsely saying Republicans took money from Epstein," KOMO News, November 2025.
