Jasmine Crockett loves to present herself as a rising star. In reality, she looks like exactly what President Trump says she is. A loud, made for television performer who brings a lot of noise and very little seriousness to the job. Her sudden run for the United States Senate is not a bold step for Texas. It looks like a desperate move by a politician whose district is being carved up and who needs a new stage and a new way to keep donor money flowing.
Crockett was born in St Louis and later moved to Texas for law school. She studied business at Rhodes College, then earned a law degree at the University of Houston and went into criminal defense and civil rights work. From there she won a seat in the Texas House in 2020 and then moved quickly into Congress in 2022, taking over Eddie Bernice Johnson’s safe Democratic district in Dallas. That is the extent of her record in elected office. She has spent more time building a television brand than building serious legislative achievements.
President Trump has her number. He has called her “the new star of the Democrat Party” and “a very low IQ person.” Harsh words, but look at her performance. When she goes viral, it is almost never because she has a serious idea or a serious bill. It is because she delivered a personal insult that plays well on social media. From a pro Trump populist point of view, the president is right to treat her as a mascot for a party that is more interested in cable news clips than in fixing the border, inflation or crime.
Consider some of the moments that made her famous. In a House Oversight hearing, instead of dismantling the left’s opponents with facts, she fired off the now infamous line about a “bleach blonde, bad built, butch body.” She then moved to trademark the phrase and slap it on merchandise. That is not the behavior of a serious lawmaker. That is the behavior of someone building a personal brand and a side business off the back of committee hearings that taxpayers pay for.
Then there is her attack on Governor Greg Abbott, when she called him “Governor Hot Wheels” and a “hot mess” at a friendly liberal event. Texans can disagree on Abbott’s policies. Many do. But mocking a man who uses a wheelchair does not lift up debate. It proves President Trump’s point that many in the modern Democrat Party are driven by cruelty and clout chasing, not compassion and common sense. Even some liberals winced at that one. Regular Texans who are not glued to Twitter see it for what it is and they do not like it.
On foreign policy she manages to upset everyone. She tries to sound serious on Israel and national security, but stumbles and contradicts herself, angering the radical left while still sounding weak to the rest of the country. On television she has tripped over basic facts, including a messy exchange about Epstein related documents where she was corrected in real time. This is the person Democrats want to send into a statewide race against a seasoned Republican in a conservative leaning state.
Now redistricting in Texas is changing the map and squeezing Democrats. Crockett’s safe seat is being reshaped. Instead of staying and fighting for a reshaped district or making peace with the local leaders who backed her early on, she suddenly announces a Senate run. It is very hard to see this as anything other than an exit strategy. She gets to say she is running to “take on Trump” and the Republican establishment. In reality she is securing a soft landing for herself as a national media figure once the voters of Texas reject her.
Here is the ugly truth that many Democrat strategists know but will not say on camera. Texas has not elected a Democrat statewide in decades. To break that streak they would need a candidate who can win suburban moderates, Latino swing voters along the border and working class Texans who have moved right on culture and border issues. Instead they are getting Jasmine Crockett, whose claim to fame is calling people names in committee hearings. President Trump, who understands television and understands voters, is absolutely right not to take her Senate bid seriously.
And then there is the money. A Senate race gives her a reason to send desperate emails across the country asking activists in New York and California to “help me stand up to Trump.” She can raise a fortune this way. When she loses, which is the most likely outcome, she will still have a national donor list, possible book deals, a permanent place in the left wing media circuit and plenty of ways to steer leftover funds into consulting contracts, travel, events and projects that keep her profile high. Voters in Texas will be left with nothing to show for it.
Jasmine Crockett’s run for the United States Senate does not look like a serious campaign to serve Texas. It looks like a cynical attempt to turn redistricting into a personal payday and a bigger spotlight. President Trump is right to call her out. Texans should do the same and send a clear message that the Senate is not a stage for social media performers. It is a place for adults who put the country first.
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