James Talarico (D) defeated Jasmine Crockett (D) and Ahmad Hassan (D) in the Democratic primary for U.S. Senate in Texas on March 3, 2026. As of March 2026, Crockett and Talarico led the candidate field in polling, fundraising, and media attention.

In December 2025, The New York Times' J. David Goodman described the primary as a contrast of styles, saying Crockett "appeared to be betting that her brand of combative, progressive politics could win over Texas voters in large part by driving Democratic enthusiasm and turnout in the state’s major urban centers," while Talarico "[was] seeking to energize Democrats while also courting some disaffected Trump voters." Writing the day of the primary, the Times' Nate Cohn wrote, "several polls show Mr. Talarico fares best among liberals, while Ms. Crockett fares better among moderates and conservatives. The candidates differ in important ways, but it’s not clear that ideology is one of them."

Talarico was elected to the state House in 2018. Talarico worked as a middle school teacher before entering elected politics. Writing in Politico, Adam Wren said Talarico's candidacy "sets up among the sharpest nationwide tests of whether a red-state candidate can run against the national party’s brand." Talarico's campaign website said he was running "to fix what’s broken in our country and take back power for ourselves and our communities."