Texas Democrats Haven’t Won Statewide In 30 Years, And Crockett Isn’t The One To Break the Streak

Thursday, December 11, 2025, 8:30 A.M. ET. 5 Minute Read, Op-Ed By Jennifer Hodges, Political Editor: Englebrook Independent News,

WASHINGTON, DC.- U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-TX), attorney, activist, social media influencer, and one of the most polarizing figures in Texas politics, announced late Monday afternoon that she is officially entering the race for the United States Senate. Her entrance into the race is not just another campaign launch. It is a political flashpoint and a stark reminder of how far the Democratic Party has drifted from the voters it needs to persuade.

     Her candidacy lands squarely in the middle of one of the nation’s most overwhelming political losing streaks.
     No Democrat has won a U.S. Senate race in Texas since Lloyd Bentsen in 1988.
     No Democrat has held a U.S. Senate seat since he resigned in 1993 to become Treasury Secretary.

     Worse still for Texas Democrats:
     The party has not won any statewide election in Texas since 1994.
     That is the longest such drought for Democrats in any state in America.

     Into this unforgiving landscape walks Jasmine Crockett, a candidate whose political record and public behavior raise serious doubts not just about her chances, but about her party’s judgment.

A Record Empty Of Legislative Achievement, Full Of Controversy;

     Crockett’s rise from the Texas State House to Congress has been fueled less by legislative work and more by online volatility. Her critics, including many Democrats, argue that she accomplished virtually nothing in Austin and has not brought a single major piece of legislation to the House floor in Washington.

     But what Crockett lacks in legislative results, she makes up for in controversy:

• She compared ICE agents to Nazis.
• She compared ICE officers to “slave patrols.”
• She repeatedly targeted Texas Governor Greg Abbott.
• She launched escalating attacks on President Donald Trump.
• She declared that illegal border crossings should not be considered a crime.
• She publicly insisted she “doesn’t need Trump voters” to win.
• And during a podcast appearance, she claimed that “just because a person commits a crime, that doesn’t make them a criminal,” a statement widely interpreted as evidence of her soft-on-crime political philosophy, a stance sharply out of step with Texas voters across the political spectrum.

     These positions may energize her online following, but they place her at odds with the centrist and independent voters necessary for any Democrat to be competitive in Texas.

A Political Persona Built For Outrage, Not Governance;

     Crockett’s congressional tenure has been defined by televised outbursts that go viral but achieve little. Her critics describe her conduct as abrasive, racially divisive, and unbecoming of federal office. Even some Democrats privately concede that her behavior undermines the seriousness of the work she was elected to perform.

     Supporters call it passion.
     Voters outside her base often call it something else: instability.

     And instability does not win statewide in Texas. 

Luxury Spending And Influencer Politics;

     Crockett’s controversies extend beyond rhetoric.
Her campaign spending patterns, documented through FEC filings, reveal:

• high-end hotel stays,
• limousine and chauffeured travel,
• premium event venues, and
• national travel that appears more influencer-driven than legislative.

     While technically permissible, these expenditures point to a political figure more focused on lifestyle, financial gain, and branding than on delivering results.

     Democrats who still care about winning elections see this as a liability of the highest order.

Electoral Analysis: Crockett Is Entering the Race at a Severe, Measurable Disadvantage;

     The hard numbers make one thing clear: Jasmine Crockett faces one of the steepest electoral climbs of any Senate candidate in modern Texas history.

     1. A 30-Year Democratic Losing Streak

     Democrats have not carried a single statewide race since 1994, even in strong national cycles. The idea that Crockett, one of the party’s most polarizing figures, can reverse that trend strains belief.

     2. Senate Races Have Been Especially Brutal

     Since 1988, Democrats have repeatedly failed to make the U.S. Senate competitive. Even disciplined, moderate Democrats with strong résumés fell short. Crockett’s messaging places her substantially left of every Democrat who failed before her.

     3. Her Dismissal of Trump Voters Is Politically Catastrophic

     Texas Democrats must win at least 10–15% of Republican or Republican-leaning voters to have any realistic chance. Crockett has explicitly told them she doesn’t need them.

     That is not a strategy.
     That is surrender.

     4. Democratic Strategists Are Sounding the Alarm

     Quietly and publicly, many Democrats doubt she can win statewide. Her record, her controversies, and her rhetorical volatility are already causing fractures within the party.

     5. Republicans Are Eager to Face Her

     Crockett’s candidacy is the scenario GOP strategists dream of, a polarizing figure who energizes Republicans, depresses moderates, and fractures Democrats.

Bottom Line;

     Crockett may generate buzz on TikTok, Instagram, and left-wing media, but in Texas, none of that has translated into a statewide victory for 30 years.

     There is no evidence she can break the pattern.
     There is ample evidence that she may deepen it.

A Senate Run That Says More About the Party Than the Candidate;

     Crockett’s candidacy splits Democrats between online activists hungry for viral combat and institutional leaders who simply want to win a statewide race again, someday.

     But with:

• no statewide Democratic victories since 1994,
• no Democratic U.S. Senate win since 1988,
• a thin legislative résumé,
• a long list of inflammatory remarks,
• luxury spending controversies, and
• growing doubts within her own party,

     Jasmine Crockett enters the Senate race not as a unifying figure, but as a political gamble in a state that has punished Democratic gambles for three decades.

     Her campaign launch may energize the far left.
It may dominate social media.

     But it is built on a foundation of volatility, not viability.

     And Texas voters have made clear, year after year, that volatility is not what they reward.

Editor’s Note:

This opinion column represents the analysis and viewpoint of Jennifer Hodges, Political Editor, and is edited by Art Fletcher, Executive Editor. Englebrook Independent News remains committed to factual, evidence-based journalism and transparent commentary clearly distinguished from news reporting.