With just a month left until Election Day, the Democratic primary for U.S. Senate in Texas has become so tense that allegations by a TikToker have disrupted the race and sparked a backlash.
The incident began on Sunday night, when Morgan Thompson posted a video recounting a comment she said Texas Rep. James Talarico made to her during a private conversation in January: He called his one-time opponent, former U.S. Rep. Colin Allred, a “mediocre black man.”
Talarico’s campaign released a statement from the candidate on Monday, calling Thompson’s account a “mischaracterization of a private conversation,” explaining, “I would describe Congressman Allred’s campaign methods as mediocre, but the same cannot be said for his life and service.” Thompson acknowledged that she did not record and that they had previously agreed to treat their conversations as non-records.
But the allegation lashed out at Talarico’s campaign on Monday, sending aides into disarray and prompting Allred to endorse her in the tight race. Allred dropped out of the Senate race after Rep. Jasmine Crockett decided to run at the last minute. This was despite his frustration in December when Talarico was thrown out of the running after joining. It also reignited questions about identity politics and electability that have divided primaries and Democrats more broadly.
Thompson claims Talarico, who is white, said: “I signed up to run against a mediocre black man, not a strong and smart black woman.”
In a statement, Talarico denied the exact words Thompson relayed, saying: “Given the painful legacy of racism in this country, I understand how my criticism of my congressman’s campaign might be interpreted, and I am deeply concerned about the impact of my words on others.”
In an interview Monday night, Allred told CNN that he believed the campaign’s statement “acknowledged that he said what he said” and expressed surprise that he had not heard from Talarico directly.
“I respond not only on behalf of myself but on behalf of Black candidates across the country that even if you’re 6 points ahead of a presidential candidate, you’re still going to be called ‘mediocre,'” Allred said, referring to his results in the state’s 2024 Senate race compared to Kamala Harris. (Allred outperformed Harris by about five points.)
Talarico’s alleged remarks
Thompson told CNN that a friend recommended Talarico’s campaign to her last fall and that she preferred him to Allred. After attending one of his events in Dallas, she began using her social media following to support him. She said Talarico’s staff provided her with videos of the rally and were quick to help by providing her with information such as fundraising numbers and clips from his “Jubilee” online debates.
“It’s like a symbiotic thing. I’m not being paid by the campaign at all,” Thompson said, “but I’m in constant communication with the campaign.”
Thompson said the relationship began to unravel after she received a Talarico fundraising text signed by Democratic strategist James Carville, who has been urging Democrats to start moving away from identity politics. Thompson said she believed it was an implicit criticism of black women, and when she raised her grievances about the campaign, an aide invited her to have a conversation with Talarico — either on camera for her to post or “off the record” for a private conversation.
She said she chose a less formal conversation and did not record it. But she said she vividly remembers the Jan. 12 exchange backstage at Plano City Hall. Thompson said she expressed concerns about her relationship with Cavill and suggested he might be chasing big names, prompting Talarico to say, “So you’re worried that I’m being betrayed?” She said she told him he ignored the racial dynamics he discovered, prompting him to say, “I have blind spots.”
Campaign spokesman JT Ennis confirmed the connection to Thompson — “The Talarico campaign works with many creators in Texas to keep them updated on the campaign,” he said — and that they did speak before the Plano event. But Ennis told CNN that Talarico did not remember making any of those statements, and that his version was backed up by an aide who both said was in the room but was not interviewed.
Thompson said that when she mentioned online chats to Talarico, she saw people wanting him to run for governor — an option he had considered before running for Senate and one he urged him to reconsider when Crockett entered the race late.
“That’s when he said, ‘I signed up to run against a mediocre black man, not a strong, smart black woman,'” Thompson said. “That’s a direct quote.”
Thompson also accused Talarico’s campaign of trying to silence her, claiming her Instagram account disappeared and her Threads account was suspended within minutes of posting a video about her remarks. She acknowledged that Thompson didn’t know how it happened, given that no one in the campaign knew her password, but “it was just too many factors at play. It was just too many anomalies. It happened so fast.”
As for Thompson’s assertion that social media accounts were shut down, Ennis said: “No. We don’t have that authority and we would never do that.”
How Allred responded
Shortly after Thompson’s video went viral, Allred posted a video of himself ripping Talarico apart.
“Let me give you some free advice, James,” Allred said. “If you want to celebrate black women, then do it. Just do it. Don’t do it while disparaging black men.”
He also said Talarico, a Presbyterian seminarian, has received unfair attention for his discussions about the Christian campaign line and how Democrats can win over religious voters.
“We don’t need you,” he said. “You didn’t say anything unique. You just said it like you did.”
The Senate primary will be held on March 3. Allred also ran in the House primary that day against Rep. Julie Johnson, who entered after dropping out of the Senate race.
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