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Gone quiet · last update Jul 9, 2026 / Texas

The 2026 Texas Senate race: James Talarico's Democratic primary win

Overview · reviewed October 24, 2026

Texas state Rep. James Talarico, a Democrat and former schoolteacher, won his party's 2026 primary for the US Senate seat held by Republican John Cornyn, beating Rep. Jasmine Crockett by about six points.[1][2] The general election that followed is covered in a separate arc.

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Follow this story to see new developments when you return.

The general election that followed is covered in a separate arc.

Coverage over time

Share of tracked outlets · weekly (UTC)

Week of 2025-06-30 (UTC): 3%, 7 of 217 tracked outlets (1 left, 2 center, 4 right)Week of 2025-07-07 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2025-07-14 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2025-07-21 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2025-07-28 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2025-08-04 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2025-08-11 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2025-08-18 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2025-08-25 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2025-09-01 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2025-09-08 (UTC): 5%, 11 of 214 tracked outlets (1 left, 5 center, 5 right)Week of 2025-09-15 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2025-09-22 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2025-09-29 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2025-10-06 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2025-10-13 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2025-10-20 (UTC): 4%, 8 of 194 tracked outlets (1 left, 2 center, 5 right)Week of 2025-10-27 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2025-11-03 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2025-11-10 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2025-11-17 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2025-11-24 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2025-12-01 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2025-12-08 (UTC): 17%, 31 of 184 tracked outlets (10 left, 8 center, 13 right)Week of 2025-12-15 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2025-12-22 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2025-12-29 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-01-05 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-01-12 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-01-19 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-01-26 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-02-02 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-02-09 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-02-16 (UTC): 16%, 29 of 178 tracked outlets (9 left, 11 center, 9 right)Week of 2026-02-23 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-03-02 (UTC): 18%, 32 of 175 tracked outlets (9 left, 11 center, 12 right)Week of 2026-03-09 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-03-16 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-03-23 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-03-30 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-04-06 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-04-13 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-04-20 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-04-27 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-05-04 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-05-11 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-05-18 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-05-25 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-06-01 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-06-08 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-06-15 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-06-22 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-06-29 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-07-06 (UTC): 1%, 6 of 560 tracked outlets (0 left, 0 center, 6 right)Week of 2026-07-13 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-07-20 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-07-27 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-08-03 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-08-10 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-08-17 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-08-24 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-08-31 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-09-07 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-09-14 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-09-21 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-09-28 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-10-05 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-10-12 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-10-19 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-10-26 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-11-02 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-11-09 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outlets, so far

LeftCenterRightLighter bar: this week so far

Each bar is the share of the outlets on our Left / Center / Right rating scale that we tracked publishing that week which carried reporting on this story, split by the outlets' ratings. We track more outlets now than in the archive, so a share keeps earlier and later weeks comparable. An outlet counts once a week however much it published, and outlets in one ownership or syndication group count as one on each side they appear on. A rating describes the outlet, not the report. A gap means no such reports were collected that week, not that nothing was reported anywhere. Weeks run Monday to Sunday in UTC, so a report published on a Sunday evening in US Eastern time counts in the next week. 6 more outlets off the scale (not rated, or outside the left-right graphs) also reported; they are not in this chart. See them.

Weekly counts, outlets and reports (7 weeks with coverage)
Outlets on the rating scale that carried this story each week, of the outlets tracked that week, newest first
Week of (UTC)LeftCenterRightOf trackedShareReceipts
Jul 6, 20260066 of 5601%
Mar 2, 20269111232 of 17518%
Feb 16, 2026911929 of 17816%
Dec 8, 20251081331 of 18417%
Oct 20, 20251258 of 1944%
Sep 8, 202515511 of 2145%
Jun 30, 20251247 of 2173%

Latest coverage

The newest reporting in this story's record.

  1. Jul 8, 2026 · first reported · Headline from Washington Times

    Jasmine Crockett calls Texas Senate primary loss a 'racist race'

Background

The Democratic field took shape in 2025. Former Rep. Colin Allred, who lost a 2024 Senate race to Republican Ted Cruz, launched a bid in July 2025 for Cornyn's seat.[3] Talarico, an Austin Democrat known for his social media presence, entered in September.[4] Crockett, one of Congress's most outspoken Democrats, filed on the last day of qualifying in December, and analysts called her the front-runner because of her name recognition.[5] The same day, Allred dropped out to run for a newly drawn Dallas-area House seat.[6]

In February 2026, Stephen Colbert said CBS had refused to broadcast his interview with Talarico for fear of running afoul of the Federal Communications Commission's equal-time policy, which governs how broadcasters give airtime to rival candidates. The interview was shared online instead. CBS said the show had not been prohibited from broadcasting it.[7] FCC Commissioner Anna Gomez, a Democrat, called it "corporate capitulation" to the Trump administration, while FCC Chairman Brendan Carr downplayed the outrage.[8]

Talarico won the March 3 primary.[1] After her loss, Crockett claimed that Republicans had "specifically targeted Dallas County," and she later called it "a racist race" and suggested she would not campaign with Talarico.[2][9]

Supporting stories (9)
  1. James Talarico wins Democratic primary for US Senate in Texas
  2. Jasmine Crockett faces criticism from Black Democrats after losing Texas Senate primary race
  3. Democrat Colin Allred is running again for US Senate in Texas
  4. Talarico launches Senate campaign in Texas
  5. US Rep Jasmine Crockett files to run for Senate
  6. Colin Allred exiting Democratic primary in Texas Senate race, to run for Dallas-based House seat
  7. CBS hits back at Stephen Colbert over James Talarico interview
  8. Brendan Carr defends FCC role in dropped Colbert interview: ‘No censorship’
  9. Jasmine Crockett calls Texas Senate primary loss a 'racist race'

The full record

Each date is when an update was first reported.

All 11 recorded updates

July 2026

  1. Jasmine Crockett calls Texas Senate primary loss a 'racist race'Headline from Washington Times · 6 outlets

March 2026

  1. Jasmine Crockett faces criticism from Black Democrats after losing Texas Senate primary raceHeadline from Fox News · 4 outlets
  2. James Talarico wins Democratic primary for US Senate in TexasHeadline from The Guardian · 33 outlets

February 2026

  1. Brendan Carr defends FCC role in dropped Colbert interview: ‘No censorship’Headline from New Hampshire Union Leader · 6 outlets
  2. CBS hits back at Stephen Colbert over James Talarico interviewHeadline from Newsweek · 35 outlets

December 2025

  1. Colin Allred exiting Democratic primary in Texas Senate race, to run for Dallas-based House seatHeadline from CBS News · 9 outlets
  2. US Rep Jasmine Crockett files to run for SenateHeadline from Fox10 Phoenix · 6 outlets
  3. Jasmine Crockett Leads Contender In Texas Democratic Primary For U.S. Senate, Poll ShowsHeadline from Latin Times · 24 outlets

October 2025

  1. Jasmine Crockett hints at her next political moveHeadline from Newsweek · 8 outlets

September 2025

  1. Talarico launches Senate campaign in TexasHeadline from The Hill · 11 outlets

June 2025

  1. Democrat Colin Allred is running again for US Senate in TexasHeadline from WDIO Duluth · 7 outlets

Coverage & sources

Read the reports, see how much was collected over time, or compare outlets by political leaning.

Coverage & sources →