When Democratic labor leader Taylor Rehmet bested his Republican opponent in a Tarrant County state senate race over the weekend, flipping a solidly Republican district in the process, Texas Democrats appeared united.
"Things are changing in Texas," Gina Hinojosa, a state representative and the leading Democratic candidate in the gubernatorial challenge to incumbent Republican Gov. Greg Abbott, wrote on social media.
Even Republicans were reeling from the loss of a district that went for Donald Trump by 17 percentage points in the 2024 presidential election. Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, who is up for reelection in November, called the moment a "wake-up call for Republicans across Texas."
With elections for each of the statewide offices on the table this year, Democrats, it seemed, finally had a chance at uniting and flipping key races in Texas, where the party has not won a statewide race in more than 30 years.
But less than two days later, a divide in what is arguably Texas' highest-profile race reached a very public crescendo, garnering national scrutiny over Democrats' strategy ahead of the upcoming March 3 primary.
"Mediocre"
Former congressman Colin Allred, a former U.S. Senate candidate who dropped out of this year’s Senate race in December, publicly lambasted Senate candidate James Talarico, accusing him of referring to Allred as a "mediocre Black man." Allred said he hadn't planned to get involved in the race but ultimately endorsed U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett.
"You are not saving religion for the Democratic Party or the left," Allred said in his scathing video, speaking of Talarico's appeal to religious voters. "We already had Senator, Reverend, Doctor Rafael Warnock for that. We don't need you. You're not saying anything unique. You're just saying it looking like you do. ... This man should not be our nominee for the United States Senate."
Hey 👋🏽 @jamestalarico — don't come for me unless I send for you. pic.twitter.com/ryVA6irNWY
— Colin Allred (@ColinAllredTX) February 2, 2026
Talarico, in turn, called the allegations a "mischaracterization of a private conversation," adding that he did call Allred's 2024 Senate campaign against incumbent Sen. Ted Cruz "mediocre," but not his "life and service."
In her own statement, Crockett did not directly mention Talarico by name but praised Allred, saying it was "unfortunate that at the start of Black History Month, this is what we’re facing.”
Notably, when Allred first announced he was suspending his Senate campaign, he wrote on social media that, "I've come to believe that a bruising Senate Democratic primary and runoff would prevent the Democratic Party from going into this critical election unified against the danger posed to our communities and our Constitution by Donald Trump, and one of his Republican bootlickers Paxton, Cornyn, or Hunt."
Representatives for Allred did not immediately respond to a request for comment clarifying whether or not he stood by those remarks from December.
In that same statement, Allred also announced he would run for Congress in the newly drawn 33rd Congressional District, where U.S. Rep. Julie Johnson is also running. Later that day, Johnson wrote in a post on social media that "women should never be treated as placeholders for men who fail to advance."
Shortly after Allred released his video, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton shared it. Cruz shared the video with a caption "D on D" and emojis of clowns and popcorn.
Paxton is challenging U.S. Sen. John Cornyn in a Republican primary that also includes U.S. Rep. Wesley Hunt of Houston.
Democratic divide
The division between leaders within the Texas Democratic Party could sow disunity leading into the 2026 election cycle. Whether or not Democrats can afford to weather a public squabble remains to be seen.
"This is not good for the Democrats," said James Henson, director of the Texas Politics Project at the University of Texas at Austin. "There’s no way you could spin this as good. Sometimes debates during a primary are productive and helpful. This kind of debate that is both personal and taking place among racial lines, and, with the facts kind of vague and open to interpretation, is bad for the Democrats. But it’s also the kind of thing we expect to see in a close primary, particularly given the coalitional politics of the Democratic Party."
In a press call touting Rehmet's election victory, Texas Democratic Party chair Kendall Scudder said primaries grow contentious by nature and that the party won't intervene with primary candidates.
"We're doing everything we can to make sure that we are operating together as one unit on the same team, moving in the same direction, with a shared goal of winning elections," Scudder said. "I said it at the beginning, I'll say it now, and I'll say it at the end: I want all of our Democrats to get along, and I want all of our Democrats to play nicely."
Though Talarico and Crockett largely refrained from attacking one another during a primary debate in January, political blog Punchbowl News reported Crockett’s campaign could be working on potential attack advertisements against Talarico.
When asked about that possibility on Hello Houston last week, Talarico said the two Democratic candidates should not be “spending precious time and resources attacking and tearing down each other, especially when we have such a big task ahead of us in November.”
In a statement provided to Houston Public Media last week, Crockett said she and Talarico are friends, adding, "We can win with unity and experience that instills confidence along with having a warrior who has taken a few hits and yet still stands tall."
Last week, Texas Public Opinion Research (TPOR), a pollster that is officially nonpartisan but with ties to Democrats, found Crockett and Talarico were in a dead heat with 38% and 37% support among likely voters, respectively, within the margin of error. Another 21% of voters are undecided, according to the poll.
TPOR found Talarico's supporters are motivated most by his character, integrity and relatability as well as his electability. Crockett's supporters, in turn, are most drawn to her people-first advocacy; her values; and her competence, intelligence and experience.
Democrats are still touting Rehmet's victory in Texas Senate District 9 on Saturday as motivation for their November strategy, particularly at the state level. Scudder and other party leaders said the victory is a bellwether for other Democratic successes.
"[Rehmet's] message about working for working people and putting those issues above ideological debates, and working on the things that really matter to them — their public schools, the affordability of where they live, and good-paying jobs — it shows us there is a message that our Democrats can get in front of and can encourage independents and Republicans alike to vote for them in November and beyond," said Wendy Davis, a former state senator and gubernatorial candidate and current advisor for the Texas Majority PAC.
It remains to be seen whether or not the public fallout between Allred and Talarico will shake the upcoming Senate primary — and if it towers over the success of Rehmet's victory.
"I don’t think that the eruption of this fight wipes it away," Henson said in an interview. "But look, you and I are sitting here having this conversation [about Talarico and Allred] instead of a conversation about the democratic win in SD-9. If you’re a Democrat, this is an unfortunate distraction from a win, and it undoubtedly dilutes that, but it dilutes that because of the way that it attracts attention.”
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