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New poll shows Talarico leading Crockett in Texas senate primary
One day after a University of Texas poll showed James Talarico trailing Jasmine Crockett by double digits in early polling in the Texas Senate Democratic nomination race, a new poll suggests Talarico actually leads Crockett. FOX 4's Steven Dial has more.
DALLAS - A social media endorsement from rap superstar Cardi B has injected celebrity drama into the most expensive primary election in U.S. history.
What we know:
The rapper took to her Instagram story this week to urge Texas voters to support U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett in the Democratic primary for the Texas Senate, emphasizing that Crockett is a candidate who will fight for the rights and issues of the community.
Ken Paxton responds to Cardi B endorsing Jasmine Crockett
The other side:
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton quickly responded to the endorsement on X, formerly Twitter, by siding with Cardi B’s longtime industry rival. Paxton posted that he is "team Nicki Minaj," referencing the rapper who has recently aligned herself with the Republican party.
Nicki Minaj, who previously criticized Donald Trump’s immigration policies, recently declared herself the former president’s "number one fan" and appeared on stage with him at a campaign event. The public feud between Cardi B and Minaj dates back to 2017 and has frequently involved social media disputes and "diss tracks."
Latest on the Texas Senate Race
Jasmine Crockett / Cardi B (Getty Images)
Dig deeper:
The celebrity exchange comes as spending for the Texas Senate primary surpasses $110 million, fueled by heated races in both parties. While Republican spending accounts for the majority of that total, the Democratic side has seen approximately $26 million in advertising. State Rep. James Talarico has led that spending with $21.5 million, significantly outpacing Crockett’s $4.5 million in ad buys.
New poll shows Talarico leading Crockett
What they're saying:
On Thursday, a new poll from Public Policy Polling showed Talarico up 48% to 42% over Crockett. This comes a day after a Texas polling Project poll showed Crockett holding a lead with 56% of potential Democratic primary voters, compared to 44% for Talarico.
FOX 4's Steven Dial spoke to Talarico after a speaking event at the University of Texas at Dallas about the new numbers.
"The only call that matters is on election day and, so I want everyone to show up and vote make their voice heard," Talarico told Dial. "But even to vote for me or not, I want you to take advantage of your God-given rights at the ballot box."
Talarico was also asked about his significant funding advantage over Crockett.
"There’s the PACs attacking. There are PACs that are supporting me, PACs that are against me. It’s why I think we need a ban super PACS," Talarico said. "That’s what I want to do in the US Senate so we don’t have this kind of crazy spending in our elections."
By the numbers:
Crockett maintains a higher favorability rating at 71%, while Talarico sits at 59% according to the Texas Politics Project poll. Analysts noted that Talarico’s favorability has slipped since August 2025, though a recent interview on "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert" could improve his name recognition as the primary concludes.
On the Republican side, Paxton remains a popular figure among his base with a 52% favorability rating. U.S. Sen. John Cornyn followed closely with 50% favorability, while challenger Hunt trailed at 39%. A significant portion of Republican voters, roughly 32%, reported they were unfamiliar with Hunt, compared to only 10% who said the same of Paxton.
The Source: Information in this article comes from social media posts by Cardi B and Ken Paxton, a Public Policy Polling poll, and previous reporting.