Famed Democratic strategist James Carville has a brutal opinion of Texas Rep. Jasmine Crockett’s Senate campaign.
“She violates the first rule of politics, and that is, in politics, you always make it about the voters and never about yourself,” said the 81-year-old consultant on Thursday’s Politics War Room podcast.
“What wins elections is not sitting there talking incessantly about yourself,” he added. “Winning elections is not how many clicks you get or how much overnight fundraising you do. Winning elections is being part of framing issues and understanding where people are coming from, and I don’t think Crockett is very good at that. I’ll be very frank.”
Crockett, 44, announced her Senate challenge to incumbent John Cornyn on Monday with a video in which audio of President Donald Trump insulting her played over her standing still.
“How about this new one they have, their new star, Crockett, how about her? She’s the new star of the Democratic Party; they’re in big trouble,” Trump, 79, can be heard saying as Crockett crosses her arms and smiles.
Though the video certainly made a splash on X, gaining 4.3 million views in five days, it also drew criticism for focusing entirely on Trump’s disdain for her rather than her campaign promises.
“You can get all the hits. You can get all the clicks. You can get on all of the TV shows. You can get in as long as you’re polemic, but you’re not helping very much,” said Carville Thursday.
Crockett has focused less on herself in other areas of her nascent campaign. On her campaign website, Crockett promises to fight for “affordability,” a message that has proven to be a winning one for Democrats in local elections nationwide. In her announcement speech to supporters, she emphasized that her decision to run was not about herself.
“This isn’t about me or them. It’s about you and us,” she said. “This is not about ambition. It’s not about my ambition. It’s about yours, your hopes and your dreams, and a government that has your back.”
Crockett enters a Democratic primary against James Talarico, a 36-year-old member of the Texas House of Representatives who is considered a rising star in the party. Talarico announced his candidacy in September. A poll released Friday found Crockett winning the primary, which will take place in March, by eight points.
Just before Crockett entered the race, U.S. House Rep. Colin Allred dropped his Senate campaign to focus on a House race. Republicans, including Cornyn and House Speaker Mike Johnson, have expressed relief that Crockett has essentially replaced Allred, believing Crockett’s far-left record will make her easier to defeat in a general election.
“Am I hiding my glee? I’ll try to wipe the smile off my face,” Cornyn told Semafor. “I would say it’s a gift.”
On the other side of the Texas Senate race, Cornyn faces primary challenges from Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and Rep. Wesley Hunt.
