Democratic Establishment May Yet Block Jasmine Crockett

Back in December, when Texas Representative Jasmine Crockett announced her candidacy for the Democratic nomination for Senate in 2026, you could almost hear the faint echo of Texas Republican campaign professionals whooping “YEE-HAW!” and tossing their Stetson hats in the air.

Republicans have long been on high alert in the Lone Star State, given the likelihood of incumbent Senator John Cornyn losing his primary to the (intensely divisive and demonstrably corrupt) MAGA state attorney general, Ken Paxton. Trump’s approval numbers in Texas are currently hovering in the mid-40s — not much better than his national average — and everybody remembers how close even a scandal-free incumbent like Ted Cruz came to losing during Trump’s first midterm.

About the Author

Jeffrey Blehar

Jeffrey Blehar is a National Review staff writer living in Chicago. He is also the co-host of National Review’s Political Beats podcast, which explores the great music of the modern era with guests from the political world happy to find something non-political to talk about.

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Back in December, when Texas Representative Jasmine Crockett announced her candidacy for the Democratic nomination for Senate in 2026, you could almost hear the faint echo of Texas Republican campaign professionals whooping “YEE-HAW!” and tossing their Stetson hats in the air.

Republicans have long been on high alert in the Lone Star State, given the likelihood of incumbent Senator John Cornyn losing his primary to the (intensely divisive and demonstrably corrupt) MAGA state attorney general, Ken Paxton. Trump’s approval numbers in Texas are currently hovering in the mid-40s — not much better than his national average — and everybody remembers how close even a scandal-free incumbent like Ted Cruz came to losing during Trump’s first midterm.

About the Author

Jeffrey Blehar

Jeffrey Blehar is a National Review staff writer living in Chicago. He is also the co-host of National Review’s Political Beats podcast, which explores the great music of the modern era with guests from the political world happy to find something non-political to talk about.