Identity Politics And Other Election News
Why the conversation about Jasmine Crockett went off the rails yesterday.
There are five days left until the filing deadline for the primary election, and I’m counting down with ants in my pants, itching to talk about so many of these races. We still have to wait for all the last-minute filers, but let’s take a peek at where we are so far:
Congress:
Democrats are on 33 out of 38 seats (so far)
Republicans are on 36 out of 38 seats (so far)
SBOE
Democrats are on 6 out of 8 seats (so far)
Republicans are on 7 out of 8 seats (so far)
State Senate
Democrats are on 13 out of 15 seats (so far)
Republicans are on 12 out of 15 seats (so far)
State House
Democrats are on 107 out of 150 seats (so far)
Republicans are on 103 out of the 150 seats (so far)
These are only the seats that have filed with the Secretary of State so far, and with five days left to go, we can expect plenty more to file. Again, I’m keeping a running list here:
It’s almost like Texas is a BATTLEGROUND STATE.
Honestly, I can’t wait until these five days are over because there is sooooo much drama and gossip I want to get into. Last time I tried to do an “EARLY” look at the Dem primaries, too many people emailed or messaged me about this seat or that seat, even though I was going on who was filed with the Secretary of State. So, instead of all the confusion again, I’ll just wait… five more…. loooooong days. But in the meantime…
Orange dictator Donald Trump pardoned Democratic traitor Henry Cuellar this morning. And now we all know why he voted to strip healthcare away from his district. Cuellar also filed to be on the ballot this morning, as a Democrat. Why? Because he couldn’t win in this district otherwise.
Personally, I think the whole thing is sickening.
And I keep thinking back to Bobby Pulido’s first YouTube podcast, where he said that, politically, he probably aligns closest with Henry Cuellar and Vincente Gonzalez.
When I approached an influencer with this podcast clip, the immediate response I got was, “No one is going to listen to your opinion because you’re a white Democrat.”
In all fairness, the influencer, who is Hispanic, later apologized and rephrased it to explain that the Hispanic community deeply loves Bobby Pulido because of his celebrity, and that his political positions basically aren’t going to matter.
And that brings me to the Jasmine Crockett discourse, which has entirely devolved from intelligent and poignant political discussion to racialized, identity mud-slinging.
I want to start with this:
Black women are the reason we even have a Democratic Party in Texas worth fighting for. Black women are the backbone of our Party.
They are not the problem. They’ve been over-policed, underpaid, lied on, and then asked to save democracy on their lunch break. After what we’ve seen happen to Kamala Harris and countless Black women candidates, it makes complete sense that many Black women see Jasmine Crockett and feel protective, proud, and, frankly, on edge when anyone says, “I don’t think she can win.”
And that reaction isn’t coming out of nowhere. It comes from generations of being told, “You’re good enough to do the work, but not good enough to be the one in charge.” It comes from watching Black women get dismissed, disrespected, and held to standards no one else is held to. So when a Black woman candidate finally steps forward with the fire, the skill, and the backbone that Jasmine Crockett has, people feel a real sense of investment and kinship. That’s human. It’s justified. And it deserves respect.
But here’s the part we also have to talk about without the entire conversation collapsing into accusations. When some Democrats say they’re worried about Jasmine in a general election, they are not talking about her capability, her intelligence, or her qualifications. They’re talking about negative partisanship, which is the brutal, ugly reality that specific candidates don’t just motivate Democrats; they supercharge Republican turnout. And that has nothing to do with Black women “not being electable.” It has everything to do with how racist, sexist Republicans react to an unapologetic Black woman. That’s their bigotry, not her flaw.
The problem is the GOP, not Jasmine Crockett. But the GOP’s behavior still affects the map. They will crawl across broken glass to vote against certain people, not for their own. Texas Democrats know this because we’ve lived it for the last 30 years. We’ve seen good candidates get buried by a tidal wave of MAGA rage turnout that had nothing to do with policy and everything to do with identity.
And here’s where the discourse went sideways.
If you spent any time on social media yesterday, you undoubtedly saw it. People took a conversation about Republican behavior and reframed it as a conversation about Black women’s worth.
Yes, some commentary was absolutely rooted in racism or misogynoir. Things like “too loud,” “too ghetto,” or “unprofessional.” That garbage needs to be called out. Every time. Put them on blast.
But not everyone saying “I’m worried she loses the general” is coming from that place. Many are terrified of handing Republicans the exact villain they want to run against in a year when we desperately need them not to be fired up.
This isn’t about telling Black women they’re wrong for being protective. It’s not about telling anyone who to support in the primary. It’s about acknowledging two truths at once:
Jasmine Crockett is a political force, and Black women have every right to feel invested in her success.
Texas Democrats are allowed to talk about general-election strategy without being told that doing so is racism in disguise.
We need both truths if we want to win. And we need each other because the real enemy is on the other side of the ballot.
Jasmine Crockett will officially announce her candidacy for Senate on Monday.
She’s made up her mind. And so has everyone else. So, if you think she shouldn’t run or that other people should switch to different races, get that out of your head now; it isn’t going to happen.
Here is my prediction. Talarico and Crockett wind up in a runoff. Who wins the runoff? I don’t know, but whoever does changes what kind of general election we run.
Do I think Jasmine Crockett can win? I’m not counting her out, but I do think it will be more challenging for her than for Talarico because of negative partisanship.
In 2022 (the last midterms), 9.5 million registered voters didn’t bother to vote. Another 4.1 million Texans were eligible to vote but were not registered.
To be absolutely safe in this midterm election, Democrats should focus on getting between 2.5 and 3 million more voters than in the last midterms. I know that sounds like a lot, but Texas is huge, and the pool is there.
Here’s what it’s going to take:
Having hard-working candidates in every seat, up and down the ballot.
Beating Republicans in Texas on the precinct chair count. 👀
Having everyone on the same page with messaging.
A turnout operation that starts now and continues through next November.
County-level organizing in every single county.
A real Latino engagement strategy.
A Black voter turnout plan.
Massive voter-registration drives.
Strong digital infrastructure.
We really have to ease up on the circular firing squads.
At the end of the day, we can talk strategy, turnout, precinct chairs, data, maps, and negative partisanship until our eyes cross. But here’s the truth underneath all of it:
There is no Democratic Party in Texas without Black women.
Full stop.
No nuance needed.
Black women have carried this Party on their backs for generations. They have organized when the state ignored them, voted when the state tried to silence them, and fought for democracy even when democracy didn’t fight for them. They have saved us, again and again, and they’ve done it with far less support, far less respect, and far fewer resources than they deserved.
But honoring Black women doesn’t mean we stop having strategic conversations. It means we have them with respect, with context, and with the understanding that disagreement is not betrayal. It means we keep the villain on the far-right fringe that is actively trying to erase all of us.
And if Texas truly is becoming a battleground state, then we need every single community, every single voter, every single organizer, and every single Democrat rowing in the same direction.
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I shared in my Substack (https://lifeitsownself.substack.com/p/three-point-shots-wednesday-december) this morning that I hoped Jasmine did not jump into the Senate race, and for one strategic reason: Democrats will likely be in the majority in the U.S. House next year. She would be an unalloyed asset to efforts to hold Donald Trump and his band of miscreants accountable for the damage they are doing to this country, and the House leadership would be smart enough to give her that opportunity.
The Senate will likely remain in Republican hands, denying her much of a platform to challenge the prevailing lunacy. The Senate Democrats are far more reserved than their House colleagues.
From a grassroots organizer, I can tell you this. What would actually win Texas: Jasmine stays in CD 30 and works the new Tarrant Side as if she is 10 points down. Actually work her own district. It is completely packed with black voters. If she could make it a 90% turnout with 90% Dem margin, we would win the state, and send a Democrat to Washington. But in the senate she has to run state wide and won’t focus on West & South Dallas and Arlington.