Texas voter Sonya Bernhardt’s comments highlight the ongoing debate over Jasmine Crockett’s election, which some say is rooted in racial and gender bias.
A Texas voter has gone viral after she tearfully admitted that she wasn’t voting for Jasmine Crockett in the upcoming Texas U.S. Senate primary because she didn’t think the fiery U.S. congresswoman could defeat the Republican candidate in the general election.
“We need a fighter. I was ready to vote for Jasmine Crockett because I love her, but I voted for Talarico because we need someone who can win,” said Sonya Bernhardt, a Houston voter who cast her vote ahead of the March 3 primary between Crockett and Texas Rep. James Talarico.
Bernhardt explained that she likes Crockett’s fierce style as a politician and her ability to go toe-to-toe with Republicans, particularly in committee hearings on Capitol Hill. “This was one of the most difficult votes I’ve ever cast in my life,” she told CNN.
Bernhardt’s admission angered Crockett’s online supporters, who pointed to the ongoing problem of white women voting against their interests and widespread bias against female candidates and candidates of color.
“The issues we’ve seen her raise during this primary are around electability issues and how to frame electability issues, maybe through a racial lens, maybe through a political lens,” said Jamarr Brown, a Democratic strategist and former executive director of the Texas Democratic Party. “I think some of them are looking at the race of the candidate, the gender of the candidate and maybe some of her record.”
He told theGrio that Crockett’s reputation for “battling Republicans in Congress” may lead some Texas voters to believe that Crockett “might not be able to appeal” to more moderate or disaffected Republicans who have “suffered at the hands of the Trump administration.”
Brown noted, however, that contrary to what some believe, Democratic victories in traditionally Republican states like Texas do not require relying solely on conservative voters, or even white Democratic voters like Sonia.
“White Democrats had the lowest vote share of any district within the party,” he told theGrio. “You have to look at independents and see if they would support the Democratic candidate? I think they would, but it depends on who it is.”
Ultimately, Brown said, any Democrat’s path to victory in the general election will depend on the party’s base, which includes black, Hispanic-Asian voters and young voters.
The Texas operative explained that in the nation’s most populous Black state, “I think we have to count on Democrats to be able to deepen their base and their bench with a strong coordinated campaign.”
In an interview with theGrio, Jasmine Crockett expressed frustration with critics who question her electability simply because she is a black woman.
“We know that for the Democratic Party, the most loyal voting bloc, no matter which part of the country you look at, is actually black women. And that’s all good for us…We allow this party to continue to say, yes, yes, yes, we need black women, keep up the good work. [but] We’re not even going to focus on spending the money on you guys because we know you’re going to be restrained,” Crockett said. “Nobody’s going to look at the voucher. Like, yelling at me that you have questions about my qualifications. “
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