_WHAT’S HAPPENING_
The National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) orchestrated a months-long campaign to push Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-TX) into Texas's 2026 Senate race, viewing her as the weakest potential Democratic opponent.
_THE FACTS_
The NRSC intentionally included Rep. Crockett in a July poll to boost her political profile against other Democrats.
An NRSC source said they aimed to “disseminate this far and wide” after seeing the manufactured positive results.
The committee then worked to amplify subsequent polls, creating a news cycle suggesting Crockett’s support was surging.
Crockett admitted the polls motivated her to run, stating, “I couldn’t ignore the trends that were clear.”
The NRSC ran an “AstroTurf recruitment process” with calls and texts urging voters to push Crockett to run.
Incumbent Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) called her candidacy a “gift” and joked he would “try to wipe the smile off my face.”
Crockett is polling poorly against Sen. John Cornyn and his primary challenger, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton.
President Donald Trump also deemed her run a “gift to Republicans,” calling the congresswoman a “low-IQ person.”
_INSIGHTS_
Republicans are now deploying a familiar Democratic playbook. In the 2022 midterms, Democrats spent millions boosting Republican primary candidates they viewed as easier to defeat in general elections, and succeeded in states like New Hampshire and Arizona.
And during the Tea Party movement, Democrats used that energy to push GOP voters toward weaker candidates, such as when then-Senator Claire McCaskill (D-MO) ran an ad saying a weaker candidate was “too conservative.” He won the primary — but she won the election.
