James Talarico’s campaign prided itself on running a cutting-edge operation that fused social media engagement with a populist economic message and progressive Christianity.
It also ran TV ads, sent volunteers to knock on voters’ doors and instilled message discipline from the candidate on down — all the fundamental parts of a professional campaign that, more than anything else, might explain his upset Tuesday.
Talarico defeated Rep. Jasmine Crockett in the Democratic Senate primary Tuesday in Texas, advancing after a closely fought contest that exposed the party’s racial and political divisions. The state lawmaker from Austin will face either Republican Sen. John Cornyn or state Attorney General Ken Paxton in the general election, a race many Democrats in Washington now think the party could win because of Talarico’s potential appeal to moderates.