Crockett and Talarico

Vote tomorrow for Alejandra Salinas for H-Town City Council At-Large 4 in the Special Election Runoff, please.

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Here is the first poll of a head-to-head between Cong. Jasmine Crockett and State Rep. James Talarico. Here is from KXAN News:

AUSTIN (Nexstar) — U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett, D-Texas, may have just entered the Democratic primary for U.S. Senate on Monday, but according to a new poll she’s already the favorite to win.

The Barbara Jordan Public Policy Research and Survey center at Texas Southern University polled 1,600 likely Texas Democratic Primary voters between Dec. 9 and Dec. 11, releasing their results on Friday morning. Among those responses, 51% of respondents indicated support for Jasmine Crockett, while 43% showed support for State Rep. James Talarico, D-Round Rock. The pollsters said that the results have a margin of error of +/- 2.45%.

While Crockett leads by eight points among all likely Democratic primary voters, she excels in three major demographics. Crockett leads Talarico amongst women 57%-36%, amongst those 55 or older 59%-34% and among black voters 89%-8%.

Conversely, Talarico leads with white voters 53%-40%, with men 52%-42% and with Latino voters 51%-41%. His strongest demographic is young voters, leading 63%-34% among eligible voters under the age of 34.

According to the poll, Talarico lags behind Crockett heavily in name recognition, with 21% of likely Democratic primary voters saying they don’t know enough to have a favorable or unfavorable opinion about him. On the other hand, the outspoken U.S. congresswoman only has 6% of voters who say they don’t know enough.

To close the poll, voters were asked two questions about how each candidate could help the Democratic party break a 30-year dry spell of statewide races.

Voters overwhelmingly (53%-34%) said they believe Crockett would be the candidate to galvanize the base and mobilize Democratic-leaning non-voter to actually turn out in the 2026 General Election. On the other hand, voters overwhelmingly (58%-29%) said they believe Talarico would be the best candidate to flip the vote of Texans who consistently support Republican candidates.

Both candidates have 81 days to make their case to Texas Democrats before the March 3 election.

I really don’t have much to say about this poll. I am sure we will see several polls before March 3. If Cong. Crockett is getting 9 out 10 African American voters, it is going to make it a tougher road for State Rep. Talarico.

The Chron hard copy has a lead front page article as in the featured photo on Crockett and Talarico and their campaign “styles” here:

In their Senate campaign launches, Jasmine Crockett and James Talarico each hammered on the core talking points typical of a Democratic candidate in a pivotal, nationally watched race: income inequality, rising prices, unchecked political corruption and crippling polarization that makes solving problems impossible.

But their messaging and delivery couldn’t have been farther apart.

For Crockett, a second-term congresswoman who formally entered the Senate race on Monday, the emphasis was on confrontation. “I’m coming for you,” she said in a warning aimed at President Donald Trump and his fellow Republicans. Talarico, a four-term state representative from Austin, leaned into his secondary role as a Presbyterian seminary student, saying “love thy neighbor” at one point — even those Democrats hope to defeat at the polls.

Democratic organizer Cristina Tzintzun Ramirez, who unsuccessfully sought the 2020 Senate nomination, said it’s too early to tell which style will resonate with most primary voters ahead of the March 3 contest. But she said the party is fortunate that both candidates bring a clear, what-you-see-is-what-you-get quality to the campaign.

“What is similar about both of them is authenticity, and I think that’s what Democratic voters are desperate for,” Tzintzun Ramirez said, adding: “But they are each calling to a different kinds of action. Talarico calls for people to love and Jasmine calls for people to fight.”

Here is the entire read: Jasmine Crockett and James Talarico show dueling styles in Senate race.

We have just under 11 months until Election Day 2026. We know MAGA is going to try to demonize our eventual nominee. Democrats don’t need to add to this.

Over on the MAGA side, the gloves came off when their MAGA primary race started and it sure will get nastier over the next 11 weeks. If the polls on the Democrats side continue to show Cong. Crockett with a good lead, you would probably expect State Rep. Talarico to take off the gloves so to speak.

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My Chron subscription went up another $5 every four weeks from $116 to $121. Now that is what you call supporting local journalism.

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There are two high schools playing in the football state semifinals this weekend from Texas State Senate District 6. The North Shore High School Mustangs play Lake Travis, and the C.E. King Panthers take on Austin Vandegrift. Go Mustangs and Panthers.

Have a safe weekend.