In Texas’ Democratic Senate primary, the fight between Rep. Jasmine Crockett and state Rep. James Talarico has moved deeper into the national spotlight after a Stephen Colbert interview involving Talarico was pulled from CBS air, with both campaigns tying the controversy to regulators linked to the Trump administration. Crockett on Thursday urged supporters to look at experience as the March 3 contest—described by AP as the first major test of the 2026 midterm elections—enters its final stretch with early voting already underway.
Crockett campaigned at multiple stops around Dallas, including her hometown, and in Fort Worth, telling supporters in the county where a Democrat last month won a special election in a heavily Republican district carried by President Donald Trump. In Fort Worth, she said, “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,” adding, “You know who I am. You know how I get down.”
Talarico, meanwhile, began a statewide tour this week and had sat for an interview with Colbert’s show. But on Monday night, Colbert announced on air that CBS lawyers had said the show couldn’t broadcast the interview, saying the decision was made out of concerns that it would violate regulatory guidance from the Trump administration. Ivon Gonzalez, a 41-year-old registered nurse from Fort Worth who came to the event after voting early for Crockett, said she had heard about what happened with the Colbert show but had not watched the interview, and added that she thought “he has a big following” and seemed like a “good guy,” while saying she wanted “somebody with more grit, with more just fearlessness.”
The fundraising and attention surge tied to the pulled interview has become a focal point. Talarico’s campaign said it raised $2.5 million in the 24 hours after the interview was pulled. Crockett, in an interview on MS NOW earlier this week, said it “probably gave her opponent ‘the boost he was looking for.’” In Houston, Harris County Democratic Chair Mike Doyle said any benefit for Talarico’s campaign in the wake of the interview being pulled was “undeniable,” while also saying, “Whether or not it pans out long-term, who knows?”
Crockett and Talarico both built national profiles through viral social media clips before entering the Senate race, according to AP. Talarico is known for linking his positions to his Christian faith and frequently quoting Jesus, while Crockett’s best-known clips involve her publicly criticizing Republicans. The two hot Democratic primaries are unfolding alongside a challenging general-election landscape: the seat is held by four-term Republican Sen. John Cornyn, who faces a difficult path in the primary against Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and U.S. Rep. Wesley Hunt.
Democrats, however, see an opening in Texas, AP reported, noting that the party has not won a Senate race in Texas since 1988. Some Democrats believe they can improve their prospects in November even if Paxton—described by AP as popular with MAGA voters but with years of legal problems—becomes the party’s nominee, and the Colbert controversy is now part of that heightened engagement. “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.”
The Colbert interview dispute also intersected with broader questions about broadcasting rules for political candidates. Colbert said on Monday night that CBS lawyers had advised him not to broadcast the interview, citing concerns that it would violate regulatory guidance from the Trump administration. While talk shows have been exempt from equal-time requirements for candidates, Federal Communications Commission Chair Brendan Carr—appointed by Trump—has questioned whether the exemption should continue. The Colbert show posted the interview online instead, and as of Thursday AP reported it had amassed nearly 8 million views on YouTube.
Crockett, who has previously appeared on Colbert’s show, said posting the Talarico interview on YouTube was a “good strategy” for getting attention. AP also reported that Colbert and Talarico portrayed CBS as bowing to pressure from the Trump administration, while CBS said its lawyers provided only “legal guidance” to Colbert’s show. On Thursday, Crockett framed the urgency of the race through that same lens of pressure and stakes, telling supporters, “You cannot let up off the gas” because democracy under Trump is “hanging on by a thread,” and saying, “People want to know that it is not business as usual and that you are going to go to the mat because it matters.”