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Democratic U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett made a campaign stop in San Antonio on Sunday as part of her bid to unseat Republican U.S. Sen. John Cornyn.
Crockett spoke to a packed house at Tony G’s Soul Food restaurant on the city’s East Side.
“I believe that we deserve better. I believe that we can get better and frankly I believe that we can do better, and that is why I am running to become the next senator from the state of Texas,” she told the crowd.
Crockett also addressed critics who have questioned her decision to run.
“Some people say, well, congresswoman, you should just stay in the house because we need your voice. We need to make sure you’re gonna be there because, you know, Texas likes to do Texas things. We can’t afford to lose you in this moment. But I never signed up for public office to be anybody’s safety blanket. I signed up because I wanted to make change,” she said.
Her decision to run comes after newly drawn congressional maps drastically reshaped her North Texas district. She launched her Senate campaign shortly after the U.S. Supreme Court allowed Texas’ new congressional maps to take effect.
Crockett last week agreed to debate fellow Democratic Senate candidate James Talarico in Georgetown on January 24.
On the Republican side, Cornyn is seeking a fifth term but faces a primary challenge from Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, setting up a high-profile intraparty fight ahead of the general election.
