SAN ANTONIO – A last-minute shakeup has occurred in the Texas race for U.S. Senate.
On Monday, U.S. Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett from Dallas announced she is running for Senate.
Crockett, a Democrat, is vying to take the seat of long-time Republican incumbent John Cornyn.
Her announcement comes the same day fellow Dallas Democrat U.S. Rep. Colin Allred dropped out of the Senate race.
The primary matchups are now set.
On the Republican side, Cornyn faces Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and U.S. Congressman Wesley Hunt from Houston.
On the Democratic side, Crockett will compete against State Rep. James Talarico of Austin.
Election Day for the primary is March 3.
Here’s what to know about the candidates:
Sen. John Cornyn, a Republican
Cornyn is running for reelection in the GOP-dominated state. He was first elected to the Senate in 2002.
He is facing what many are calling the toughest GOP primary of his career.
In March, KSAT sat down with Cornyn for a wide-ranging interview that included questions about a then-potential face-off against Paxton. Watch Cornyn’s interview with KSAT above.
Cornyn said, in part, “There’s a reason why I’ve been elected by large margins every time I’ve run for office. And that’s because the 31 million people in Texas know me ... I do my best to be responsive to their needs ... elections are all about competition. I’m not particularly concerned about that. If the time comes that this gentleman or anybody else decides to run, we’ll be ready for that and we’ll take our case to the voters.”
Paxton officially entered the race for U.S. Senate in April.
Attorney General Ken Paxton, a Republican
When Paxton announced his run for U.S. Senate, he told Fox News host Laura Ingraham that it was “time for a change in Texas.”
Paxton has been clear about his disapproval of Cornyn. During an interview with Punchbowl News in March, the state attorney general spoke out against the incumbent senator.
“He’s had his chance. He hasn’t performed well, and the voters know it,” Paxton said during his interview with Punchbowl News.
Paxton has also fired off several social media posts questioning Cornyn’s conservative credentials and loyalty to President Donald Trump. Cornyn has responded in a few cases.
Paxton has been shadowed for much of his career by legal and personal issues. Yet Paxton is popular with Trump’s most ardent supporters.
>> Meet the candidates vying to be Texas attorney general in the post-Paxton era
Rep. Jasmine Crockett, a Democrat
Crockett launched a campaign Nov. 8 for the U.S. Senate in Texas, bringing a national profile to a race that may be critical to Democrats’ long-shot hopes of reclaiming a Senate majority in next year’s midterm elections.
Crockett, one of Congress’ most outspoken Democrats and a frequent target of GOP attacks, jumped into the race on the final day of qualifying in Texas.
She faces a primary against Democratic state Rep. James Talarico.
Crockett could test Democratic voters’ appetite for a blunt communicator who is eager to take on Republicans as Democrats pursue their first statewide victory in Texas since 1994.
Crockett, a civil rights attorney serving her second House term, built her national profile with a candid style and viral moments on Capitol Hill. Trump has noticed and called her a “low IQ person.” In response, Crockett said she would agree to take an IQ test against the president.
State Rep. James Talarico, a Democrat
Talerico launched his campaign in September.
Before Talarico entered politics, he was teaching sixth-grade language arts at Rhodes Middle School on San Antonio’s West Side — an experience he says continues to shape his views as he campaigns for a seat in the U.S. Senate.
“Teaching middle school is the best preparation for politics,” Talarico told KSAT in an interview in October. “There’s no tougher job than being a public school teacher, particularly in a high-poverty, low-income school. That experience on the West Side is what set me on the course I’m on now.”
Watch Talerico’s interview with KSAT in the video player above.
He said those lessons motivate him to fight for better funding and stronger protections for public schools.
“Our neighborhood schools are under attack from some of the most powerful politicians and billionaires in the country,” he said, criticizing efforts to divert public funds toward private school vouchers. “We’ve got to strengthen our schools and make sure every child can fulfill their God-given potential.”
Rep. Wesley Hunt, a Republican
Hunt, who has served two terms representing a Houston-area district, defied GOP leaders by entering the GOP race in October.
The congressman said he’s running because he doesn’t believe Cornyn, who’s had a cool relationship with Trump, has shown he can beat Paxton.
“What I’ve seen in polling over the past few months is people want an alternative, and I’m going to give it to them,” Hunt said in an Associated Press interview.
Background
Democrats need a net gain of four Senate seats to wrest control from Republicans next November, when most of the seats up for reelection are in states like Texas that Trump won last year.
Democrats have long hoped to make Texas more competitive after decades of Republican dominance.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.