Believe it or not, the primary elections for 2026 are only four months away in Texas. The race to take on John Cornyn on the Democratic side has had some pretty interesting developments. Local officials are taking sides between State Rep. James Talarico, D-Austin, and former Congressman Colin Allred, D-Dallas.
Tuesday, Congresswoman Julie Johnson, D – Farmer’s Branch, and State Representatives Aicha Davis, D – Dallas, and Ramon Romero, D – Fort Worth, are part of a group of roughly 100 local officials backing State Rep. James Talarico in his race for U.S. Senate.
“Well, running in a state as big as Texas is not an easy thing to do. Trying to represent a state as big as Texas in the U.S. Senate is not going to be easy. And so I’m going to need to rely on local community leaders all over the state,” said Talarico.
Since his campaign made the announcement of endorsements, an El Paso area school superintendent and the Horizon City Mayor stated their names were mistakenly included on Talarico’s list and were neutral in the race at this point.
“I’m Congresswoman Lizzie Fletcher, and I’m all in for Allred. I have been since day one. Colin Allred is one of the best people I know,” said the Houston Democrat in a video supporting Allred.
Allred, for his part, recently gained the support of her along with former State Senator Wendy Davis, leaders of the Congressional Black Caucus, including Fort Worth’s Marc Veasey. He’s trying to make a comeback after his defeat to Senator Ted Cruz last year. Both are vying to take on the winner of the Republican primary between incumbent John Cornyn, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, and Congressman Wesley Hunt, R-Houston.
“Banding about what I’m seeing on the Republican primary side, it’s been all about trying to prove your fidelity to one person. And it’s been at the expense of Texas,” said Allred in an earlier interview.
On the money front, according to the latest finance report, Talarico raised $6.2 million, giving him an edge over Allred, who raised $4.1 million.
But what about Dallas Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett?
She told Lone Star Politics that she’s still weighing whether to jump into the Senate race or take the safer path of running for reelection to her congressional seat.
“So if I were to enter that race, it would not be just because I felt confident about my ability to win the primary. It would be because I could lay out how I believe I could win the general election,” said Crockett.
To that idea, Talarico said come on in.
“I would welcome the Congresswoman into the race. I think competition makes us all better and stronger for the general election. Competition is good in politics,” he said.
Early voting for this primary begins in late February, and the general election is in November.
**This article has been updated to note that two names – an El Paso superintendent and the Horizon City Mayor – said their names were mistakenly on Talarico’s list and were staying neutral in the race at this point.**
