Democratic Rep. Jasmine Crockett says she is edging closer to a decision to run for the U.S. Senate, after assessing whether she has a realistic path to victory.
Speaking on MS Now, Crockett said internal data gathered by her team suggests she would be a strong contender. She pointed to recent election results as evidence of the power of voters of color.
“The evaluation made it clear that the coalition that won the elections that took place on November 4 was heavily comprised of Black and Brown folks,” she said.
“When you look at the numbers in New Jersey, Virginia, Black and Brown people showed up and voted the right way. I am the leading candidate when it comes to those specific constituencies. So it does make it to where I am very formidable regardless of what people may want to put out,” Crockett continued, adding, “I am closer to yes than I am a no.”
Crockett recently topped a poll of potential Democratic Senate candidates. The survey, conducted by the University of Houston and Texas Southern University among more than 1,600 registered voters between September 19 and October 1, showed her with 31% support. She was followed by state Rep. James Talarico at 25%, former Senate candidate Beto O’Rourke at 25%, and former Rep. Colin Allred at 13%. The poll had a margin of error of +/- 2.4%.
Crockett has openly discussed the possibility of a Senate campaign and has said that increasing her statewide name recognition would be an essential early step.
“I don’t think that we have the luxury, especially with us having such an early primary, of actually doing what we normally do, which — we spend about $100 million to get someone’s name ID up,” she said, emphasizing the need to build her profile sooner rather than later.
In an interview with Politico, she also acknowledged the broader challenge Democrats face in Texas, particularly in taking on Republican Sen. John Cornyn.
“I don’t think that there’s a Democrat that can take out [Texas Sen. John] Cornyn,” she said, noting that any decision to run would come late in the process. “For me, I would be making a very last-minute decision because it’s not just about winning the primary. You got to win the general.”
