Crockett and Talarico Spar Over ICE, Billionaires and Trump in First Texas Senate Primary Debate

Dallas Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett and state Rep. James Talarico of Austin met on Saturday for their first debate in the Texas Democratic U.S. Senate primary, which will be decided in March. The hour-long event was held in Georgetown, north of Austin, at the convention of the Texas AFL-CIO's Committee on Political Education, the labor federation's political arm. The union is expected to vote on an endorsement in the race on Sunday.

Immigration enforcement dominated the opening, given the reported killing of a civilian in Minneapolis earlier Saturday, allegedly by an ICE officer. It was the second civilian death tied to the agency's large deployment to that city. Asked whether they would abolish or defund ICE, neither candidate used those words, but both said they would push for sweeping changes to the agency and the Department of Homeland Security that oversees it.

Crockett pointed to her vote against funding the department and her backing for impeaching Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem. She described ICE as a "rogue organization" and said Washington needs to "clean house from top to bottom." Talarico also supports impeaching Noem and said individual agents who abuse their power should be prosecuted. Pressed further, he came close to endorsing defunding, saying money given to ICE should be taken back and returned to communities.

On the economy, Talarico repeatedly argued that wealthy donors and corporations are corrupting politics. He named Elon Musk, Mark Zuckerberg and Jeff Bezos while saying billionaires should pay their fair share. Crockett also favors higher taxes on billionaires, citing her vote against President Trump's tax and spending law, which she called "the Big, Ugly Bill." She was more specific than her opponent, saying tax rates should return to those in place under President Bill Clinton, the last time the budget was balanced.

On health care, Talarico described being unable to afford insulin after a Type 1 diabetes diagnosis at 28. He cited the $25 insulin co-pay cap he helped pass in Texas and called for reversing cuts to the Affordable Care Act and letting any American join Medicare. Crockett said she sponsors Medicare for All and a bill by Rep. Lloyd Doggett to push Texas toward Medicaid expansion, and noted that Texas leads the nation with more than 5 million uninsured residents.

Both pledged to rein in the Trump administration's use of force abroad. Crockett warned that the president is pushing the country toward "World War III" through actions and threats involving Venezuela, Greenland, Cuba and Mexico. Talarico called the seizure of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife "deeply corrupt," saying it benefited oil executives. Both also said they would limit military aid to Israel, with Talarico backing a ban on offensive weapons to the Netanyahu government.

Impeachment was one of the few points of daylight. Crockett said there is "more than enough to impeach Donald Trump, period," citing his tariff policies alone. Talarico, who voted in 2023 to impeach Attorney General Ken Paxton in the Texas House, said he would examine any charges against Trump with the same rigor and "vote my conscience."

For the most part the candidates avoided attacking each other. Talarico said the shared goal is "winning in November and stopping a Senator Ken Paxton," whom he called "maybe the most corrupt politician in America." Crockett's nearest jab was noting that Talarico has held elected office longer than she has but is less known because she has been "on the front lines."

The winner will seek the seat held by Republican Sen. John Cornyn, who faces a difficult primary against Paxton and Houston-area Rep. Wesley Hunt. Polls in recent months suggest a close general election, especially if Paxton is the GOP nominee. The last Democrat to win this Senate seat was Lyndon B. Johnson in 1960, when he was also on the ballot for vice president.