Social Media Influencers Drive Conversation in Competitive Texas Senate Race

Democratic primary between Jasmine Crockett and James Talarico becomes a referendum on identity politics

Feb. 6, 2026 at 4:55pm

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A stream of takes from political content creators has come to frame the Democratic primary between Jasmine Crockett and James Talarico as a referendum on identity politics. The discourse around the Senate race, which features two attention-savvy candidates, one a Black woman and the other a white man, has been driven by a mass of political influencers who often peddle amateur punditry, rumors, and attacks against the candidates and each other. The dueling and near-constant stream of takes has hardened each camp's views against the other, making for an increasingly hostile intraparty contest in a midterm cycle Democrats see as their best chance in years to compete statewide.

Why it matters

The extent to which new media is reshaping campaigns in an era when more voters than ever, particularly young people, are following politics via TikTok and short-form social media videos that are not subject to the same standards of accuracy as mainstream news outlets. The political content machine has taken such a hold in this race, in part a reflection of the two candidates themselves, both of whom rose to political prominence through their knack for going viral.

The details

Jasmine Crockett and James Talarico have regularly appeared in videos with political content creators, hoping to speak to new audiences and the reliable Democratic voters who have abandoned legacy news. The discourse around the race has been framed as a referendum on identity politics, with Crockett's supporters arguing that much of the criticism aimed at her is rooted in misogyny and racism, while Talarico's supporters say their criticisms of her candidacy have nothing to do with race or gender and instead rest on Crockett's profile as an anti-GOP firebrand that they worry will not play well in a Republican-leaning state.

  • The disputed allegation was first aired on TikTok.
  • Allred made his own selfie-style video on Monday tearing into Talarico for the alleged remark.
  • Crockett shook up the primary with her campaign launch in December.

The players

Jasmine Crockett

A U.S. Representative running for the Democratic nomination for U.S. Senate in Texas.

James Talarico

A state Representative running for the Democratic nomination for U.S. Senate in Texas.

Colin Allred

A former U.S. Representative who endorsed Jasmine Crockett in the primary.

Morgan Thompson

A Dallas-based political content creator with almost 200,000 followers on TikTok.

Olivia Julianna

A Democratic social media influencer who is backing James Talarico.

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What they’re saying

“We would all do a lot of good if every once in a while we realized social media is not real life.”

— Olivia Julianna, Democratic social media influencer

“People in Texas at least like Trump. If Crockett had any substance whatsoever on working people issues she'd make her campaign about that. Instead she's going for Chris Hayes's vote.”

— Zaid Jilani, Blogger

“Why is he the 'best chance'? Because he's white? Because he says 'God' a lot? A white Democrat hasn't won a Texas Senate seat in 30+ years. James won't be different, and he won't turn out the largest number of registered Black voters in the country.”

— Christopher Bouzy, Jasmine Crockett booster

“The problem with Jasmine Crockett is not racial. Give me a break. Her rhetoric is her approach as an individual and it has consequences in politics.”

— Zaid Jilani, Blogger

“nope. we're not doing this 'it's automatically racist and sexist to ever say a Black female politician isn't 100% a magical perfect being' thing again. It's 100% legitimate to urge people to not donate to a politician because you think they're not a good candidate!!!”

— Armand Domalewski, Democratic political podcaster

What’s next

A pro-Talarico super PAC has launched the first negative TV ad of the primary, painting Crockett as the GOP's preferred candidate in the general election.

The takeaway

This race highlights the growing influence of social media influencers in shaping the political discourse, particularly in the Democratic primary process. The dueling narratives and constant stream of takes from content creators have hardened the divisions between the two camps, making for an increasingly hostile intraparty contest that risks alienating voters and distracting from the real policy issues at stake.