James Talarico speaks at the Paper Tiger in San Antonio last month. Credit: Michael Karlis

Texas Rep. James Talarico, the Democratic nominee for Texas’ contested U.S. Senate seat, is pushing back on speculation that U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett’s absence from the party’s state convention last month is a sign his former primary rival is refusing to back him.

Some political observers speculated Crockett, who was reportedly invited to speak at the event by Talarico’s campaign, snubbed him as he’s vying to win support from Black voters and is locked in a virtual tie with Republican Attorney General Ken Paxton in the general election.

Talarico faced a bitter primary against Crockett, who’s Black. That contest ended in March with him securing a six-point victory.

“It is not Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett’s job to win this race,” Talarico said late last week during an appearance on Houston hip-hop radio station 93.7 The Beat. “I’m the Democratic nominee. That’s my job. And I am thankful that she has endorsed me and is supporting me in this race. But I’ve got to focus on the task at hand, which is bringing this coalition back together.”

Still, Talarico’s primary victory wasn’t without controversy.

During the campaign, Crockett accused a Talarico-aligned Super PAC of darkening her skin in TV ads. At the time, Talarico said his campaign had no contact with the group, adding that he didn’t see commercials until they aired.

After her defeat, Crockett told the Dallas Morning News she had “no idea” whether she would actively campaign for Talarico. She also told the daily that Talarico’s campaign offered a keynote speaker spot at last month’s Texas Democratic State Convention, but she declined the offer.

Some observers read that tension as continuing rift between the two.

Such a rift could spell trouble for the Talarico campaign, since political pundits argue the former San Antonio public school teacher would need reasonable support and turnout from Black voters if he’s going to flip a statewide seat blue in Texas for the first time since 1994.

However, during his Houston radio appearance, Talarico said he’s not seen evidence that Crockett has balked at backing his campaign.​

“I want to push back on the idea that Congresswoman Crockett hasn’t been supportive, because literally the morning after the primary she released a statement wholeheartedly endorsing the whole Democratic ticket here in Texas,” Talarico said. “And I’m honored to have her support and her endorsement.”

Sign Up for SA Current newsletters.

Follow us: Apple News | Google News | NewsBreak | Reddit | Instagram | Facebook | Twitter | Or sign up for our RSS Feed

​

Michael Karlis is a multimedia journalist at the San Antonio Current, whose coverage in print and on social media focuses on local and state politics. He is a graduate of American University in Washington,...