Jasmine Crockett Excludes Talarico in New List of Endorsements

Rep. Jasmine Crockett’s leadership PAC left state Rep. James Talarico off of its latest list of endorsements for the 2026 midterm elections, part of what she has said is a goal of focusing on “down ballot” candidates.

Crockett started FIRE PAC, which stands for Fueling Individual Rights Everywhere, to help other Democratic candidates win their races. The committee dropped a new list of 24 endorsements on Monday, adding many candidates running for local offices — including county judges and commissioners — as well as state House and Senate races.

Talarico bested the Dallas-area congresswoman in the Democratic primary for U.S. Senate in March, and Crockett has yet to explicitly throw her support behind her former opponent ahead of the general election — though she wrote in a statement posted to X after the primary that she “will continue working to elect democrats up and down the ballot,” and indicated in June that the post should be interpreted as her “supporting the Democratic nominee.”

The state lawmaker and his campaign welcomed her statement as a show of support.

“I want to push back on the idea that Congresswoman Crockett hasn’t been supportive, because literally the morning after the primary she released a statement wholeheartedly endorsing the whole Democratic ticket here in Texas,” Talarico said on a Houston radio show in July. “And I’m honored to have her support and her endorsement.”

Talarico’s omission from Crockett’s endorsement list comes as the state lawmaker, who initially had a fundraising advantage in the Senate race over his Republican opponent, state Attorney General Ken Paxton, has seen that advantage disappear just over a month out from election day.

State Rep. Gina Hinojosa — who is running for governor against Republican Gov. Greg Abbott — was also not included in the most recent list, though she has highlighted Crockett’s personal endorsement for her campaign.

Crockett’s office and FIRE PAC did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

When asked if she planned to campaign with Talarico last month, Crockett demurred, saying that she “will be campaigning down-ballot.” She also pointed to the issues that arose when the majority of the state party’s fundraising and support went to Democrat Beto O’Rourke, who failed to oust Sen. Ted Cruz in 2018.

“I think that making sure that people that maybe are getting overshadowed because it seems like it’s only about one big race, I think amplifying them, making sure that I can raise their profiles and introducing them to people, that’ll give something more to voters,” Crockett said.

Republicans have held Texas’ Senate seats for more than 30 years, which means turnout across the Democratic base is essential for the party to prevail on election day. Crockett held strong leads in polling among Black voters ahead of the primary, so her support is particularly crucial for Talarico’s campaign.

FIRE PAC’s current slate of endorsements do appear to reflect the congresswoman’s commitment to down-ballot races — though several federal and statewide candidates appear on the committee’s website, including former Rep. Colin Allred, Rep. Christian Menefee and Rep. Sydney Kamlager-Dove, who are running for U.S. House districts in Texas and California, as well as Xavier Becerra and Rep. Stacey Plaskett, who are running for governor in California and the U.S. Virgin Islands, respectively.