Texas' Senate primary race between Crockett and Talarico ramps up after pulled Colbert interview

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FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) — Democratic Rep. Jasmine Crockett of Texas on Thursday urged supporters to look at experience in a heated U.S. Senate primary with state Rep. James Talarico, who is riding a burst of wider attention in the race’s pivotal final stretch over his unaired interview with late-night host Stephen Colbert.

The March 3 primary in Texas is the nation’s first big contest of the 2026 midterm elections, and with early voting already underway, Talarico and Crockett are ramping up their bids as some Democrats see increasing opportunity in November’s elections despite not having won a statewide race in Texas in more than 30 years.

Crockett rallied voters at multiple stops around Dallas, her hometown, and in Fort Worth, campaigning in the county where a Democrat last month pulled off a stunning special election victory in a heavily Republican district carried by President Donald Trump.

“Now, I’m not saying that this moment is easy, but at least ya’ll know exactly how I operate in this moment on the federal level,” Crockett told supporters in Fort Worth. “You know who I am. You know how I get down.”

Talarico began his own statewide tour this week and had sat for an interview on Colbert's show. But on Monday night, Colbert announced on the air that CBS lawyers had said the show couldn’t broadcast the interview over fears of running afoul of Trump administration regulators.

Talarico's campaign said it raised $2.5 million in the 24 hours after the interview was pulled. Crockett said in an interview on MS NOW this week that it probably gave her opponent “the boost he was looking for.”

In Houston, Harris County Democratic Chair Mike Doyle said a bump for Talarico’s campaign in wake of the pulled interview was “undeniable.”

“Whether or not it pans out long-term, who knows?” Doyle said.

Both Crockett and Talarico built national profiles through viral social media clips before entering the Senate race last year. Talarico is known best for tying his positions to his Christian faith and often quoting Jesus, while Crockett’s best-know clips feature her publicly castigating Republicans.

Both are running for the seat held by four-term Republican Sen. John Cornyn, who is facing the toughest race of his long political career in the primary against Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and U.S. Rep. Wesley Hunt.

Democrats haven’t won a Senate race in Texas since 1988, but they see an opening this year to help boost their long-shot hopes of recapturing a Senate majority, especially if Republicans nominate Paxton, who is popular with MAGA voters but has had years of legal problems.

“It was an honor to vote in this election. It was my name on the ballot,” Talarico said after early voting this week in Austin. “But this is a movement that includes thousands of Texans. We are building a movement to take back our state and our country.”

Colbert said on Monday night that CBS lawyers had advised him not to broadcast the interview with Talarico, citing concerns that it would violate regulatory guidance from the Trump administration.

Talk shows have been exempt from the requirement to give candidates in a race equal time. Still, Federal Communications Commission Chair Brendan Carr, a Trump appointee, has questioned whether the exemption should continue. Online material is not subject to the rule and Colbert's show posted the interview online, where as of Thursday it had racked up nearly 8 million views on YouTube.

Colbert and Talarico have portrayed CBS as bowing to pressure from the Trump administration, while CBS has said its lawyers merely gave “legal guidance” to Colbert's show. Crockett has been on Colbert's show previously and said posting the Talarico interview on YouTube was a “good strategy” for getting attention.

In Fort Worth on Thursday, Crockett told supporters, “You cannot let up off the gas” because democracy under Trump is “hanging on by a thread.”

“People want to know that it is not business as usual and that you are going to go to the mat because it matters,” Crockett said. “People are mad.”

Ivon Gonzalez, a 41-year-old registered nurse from Fort Worth who came to the event after voting early for Crockett, said she heard what happened with Talarico and the Colbert show but hasn’t watched the interview.

“I do think that he has a big following and he seemed like a good guy overall,” she said. “I just want somebody with more grit, with more just fearlessness.”

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Hanna reported from Topeka, Kansas.