David Marcus: Texas primaries reveal media efforts to help Tallarico marginalize Crockett
But his rival, Representative Jasmine Crockett, known for her outspokenness, will not go away quietly.
It all started on February 16, when the political pundit was up late at night Stephen Colbert He falsely claimed that the Trump administration and CBS blocked the broadcast of an interview with Tallarico. It never happened. Colbert later admitted that the clip was satirical, however The controversy helped raise $2.5 million The candidate and his national standing.
At the time, Crockett was leading strongly, if not overwhelmingly, in the polls. Since then, without any significant endorsement from elected Democrats, Talarico has been treated like a golden boy by liberal media outlets ranging from far-left outlet The Nation to The New York Times.
But some of the voters I talked to Dallas this weekend They said they don’t buy the hype.
I usually don’t describe the skin color of the people I talk to in my columns. It rarely matters. But in the case of Cedric, who is black and works as a park sweeper for the Sanitation Department, I made an exception because he brought it up.
Rep. Jasmine Crockett, Democrat of Texas and candidate for U.S. Senate, during a debate at the 2026 Texas AFL-CIO COPE Convention in Georgetown, Texas, January 24, 2026. (Bob Demerich/Texas Tribune/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
“They don’t think a black woman can win,” he told me, referring to what he sees as the media’s preference for White Talarico. “But everyone I know is voting for her, and the unions are as well. Don’t count that woman out.”
It brought to mind a recently viral video of a white woman in Texas who was literally crying because she loved Crockett but thought she had to vote for Tallarico based on electability. The overwhelming feelings she felt were almost certainly shame at the idea of betraying a black woman for the greater good.
I have found evidence that these scare tactics used by democratic media can be successful.
One Democratic voter in his 70s told me Sunday that he hasn’t made up his mind yet, but “I like what I’m seeing in Tallarico’s ads, and a lot of people seem to think… He has the best shot. “I think I have some thinking to do.”
Crockett criticizes the ‘left’ over alleged blackness in ads as Senate battle intensifies in Texas
Adding to the general feeling of confusion about these Senate primaries is the fact that Ballot was as schizophrenic as Dr. Jekyll. One day last week, two polls were taken, one showing Tallarico with a 12-point lead, the other with Crockett with a 12-point lead. What is anyone supposed to do with that?
Rep. James Tallarico appears with Stephen Colbert on CBS’ The Late Show with Stephen Colbert in New York on February 16, 2026. (Scott Kowalczyk/CBS via Getty Images)
The only way this kind of polling gap could occur, short of intentional manipulation — of which there is no evidence — is for pollsters to have very different ideas about the makeup of the electorate, which is the subjective aspect of this particular social science.
Polling averages have pushed Tallarico to a slight lead, heralded at every turn by liberal commentators on television as they celebrate the shift. But in reality, it is difficult to feel this supposed wind at Tallarico’s back.
“I don’t trust polls at all,” Cindy, a 20-something barista, told me. “I just vote for whoever I think is the best.” In classic Texas fashion, she refused to tell me who that person was.
The conventional wisdom here in Texas is that Tallarico has done enough to get over the top. I’ve even heard this from GOP operatives. But more importantly, the people shaping that conventional wisdom all seem to be members of Team Talarico.
Texas State Rep. James Tallarico, D-Travis, and U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett, D-Texas, shake hands. (Bob Demerich/Getty Images)
And with the results coming in Tuesday night, there’s an important side bet to keep an eye on as well, because V.P Kamala Harris She endorsed Crockett, a risk for a woman with a very large lead on the 2028 primary ballot.
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Trust me when I say that the same left-leaning news anchors and producers criticizing Crockett’s campaign don’t want Harris anywhere near the top 28 ticket. But does Kamala know something they don’t?
These Texas primaries are now considered, among other things, a test of the party’s strength Mainstream liberal media. They are all in Talarico. A Crockett win would reveal how little influence the former news giants now have.
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The good news for Democrats is that both Tallarico and Crockett have pledged to support the other if they lose, which is nice but may not heal the divisions.
At some point, Democratic votersBlack voters, especially black voters, will be tired of being forced to always vote for the nice, straight-talking white guy in close races. It is, at its core, an inconsequential effort to fight racism with racism, and its status may not hold up.
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