Matt Rogers recently came under fire for saying that Jasmine Crockett was “too well defined” and that people shouldn’t “waste their money” donating to her senate campaign. The former of these two comments generated accusations of racism and sexism, forcing Rogers to walk back his statement in an incident that more closely resembled 2020-era liberal infighting than actual constructive feedback.
Rogers is correct. Jasmine Crockett has solidified herself in congress as a flame-hurling politician who will stand up against Trump. This has won her points among the Democratic base, but Texas is not a blue state, and being a unifying force that can win over republicans requires being a moderate one as well.
A Change Research poll from December showed that she had -7% net favorability among Texas voters, with only 16% saying they had never heard of her. Compare this to Talarico, who had +14% net favorability with almost half of voters saying they had never heard of him. This shows that Rogers’ accusation of her being “well defined” is true. Talarico has a greater opportunity to define himself than Crockett does, since he is a more unknown candidate who will be able to win over voters who haven’t formed an opinion on him, or don’t even know he exists. Crockett will have to fight an uphill battle, since she will need to win over voters who view her unfavorably rather than voters who don’t know her at all. Texas voters already have an idea of who Crockett is, and they aren’t won over yet.
Saying these things isn’t “racist”, but simply the truth of her candidacy. None of this is to say that she isn’t a good candidate, just that Talarico has a far better chance of being able to win over a red state than she does. His attacks are less pointed and more restrained, and his responses to his grievances with the Trump administration are more unifying than Crockett’s, even if he lacks her media presence.
If Crockett wins the Democratic primary for the Texas senate seat, which she likely will, she puts the chances of a Democratic senate majority in limbo. Her brand will not be popular in red-leaning Texas, and she could cost the Democrats a senate seat in November.
The left’s regression to accusations of racism simply for stating political opinions is equivalent to shooting oneself in the foot. This kind of infighting will not win over skeptical voters, and will only lead to more frustration with the Democratic party. People should be able to have and express opinions on candidates without being called racist or sexist.