Texas state Rep. James Talarico has defeated U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett in the Democratic primary for the U.S. Senate in Texas, according to projections from Decision Desk HQ, securing the nomination without the need for a runoff.
Talarico won the race with 53.1 percent of the vote, while Crockett received 45.6 percent, despite entering the contest with stronger name recognition and early polling advantages.
The victory positions the former public school teacher and Presbyterian seminarian as the Democratic nominee in a state where the party has struggled to win statewide races for decades.
The Texas Senate race is now expected to move into a new phase as Republicans determine their nominee.
Sen. John Cornyn and Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton are projected to advance to a May 26 runoff after neither candidate surpassed the 50 percent threshold in the GOP primary.
Republican campaign strategists had heavily backed Cornyn ahead of the primary, while some polling suggested Talarico could pose a competitive challenge depending on the eventual Republican nominee.
Although Democrats still face long odds in Texas, party strategists have compared the current contest to the 2018 Senate race, when Democrat Beto O’Rourke came close to defeating Sen. Ted Cruz. The race has already become the most expensive Senate primary in U.S. history, with further spending expected ahead of the general election.
