Ro Khanna Called Jasmine Crockett Brilliant While She Tanks the Democrat Party in Texas

September 2, 2026 Cat2, The Media
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Jasmine Crockett just told CNN she won't campaign for the Democrat trying to flip a Senate seat in Texas.

Ro Khanna went on CNN the same day and called her "brilliant" and an "extraordinary asset."

The Democrat Party can't even get its own members to show up – and they think they're ready to take on Ken Paxton.

The Five-Month Freeze-Out That Has Democrats Panicking

Crockett lost the Texas Democrat Senate primary to James Talarico back in March – by nearly eight points.

She gave him a unity statement.

Then she skipped his convention.

Then she told CNN she has "no idea" whether she'll support him – and that she's focused on "down-ballot races" instead.

“I will be campaigning down ballot,” Crockett said.

Now, with November closing in and Talarico clinging to a two-point lead over Paxton in the polls, Crockett is sitting on her hands while her party's best Senate pickup opportunity in 30 years hangs in the balance.

Texas hasn't elected a Democrat to statewide office since 1994.

Talarico personally called Crockett and offered her the keynote speaking slot at the Texas Democrat convention.

"It seemed like an afterthought invite," she said.

Khanna Sees a Star While Texas Sees a Saboteur

Ro Khanna – the California progressive who wants to be president in 2028 – sat down with CNN the same night Crockett publicly walked away from Talarico.

He called her "brilliant."

He called her an "extraordinary asset."

He said "we need her on the team."

The team she just told CNN she has no intention of joining.

“We have a great chance after almost a generation to win that state [Texas]. I have a great relationship with Jasmine Crockett, she is brilliant, from the Oversight Committee, that’s why I endorsed her, but she is an extraordinary asset and we need her on the team,” Khanna said.

Khanna is out here auditioning for 2028 by praising a congresswoman who is actively undermining the party's biggest Senate race of the cycle.

He sits at 2% in Democrat presidential polls.

This is why.

Democrats have spent months trying to convince America they're a functional opposition party.

And Ken Paxton – the attorney general who survived impeachment – is watching the whole thing unfold from Austin.

The Real Reason Crockett Won't Show Up

Crockett has been saying the quiet part out loud since March.

She's made clear she doesn't believe black voters will turn out for a White candidate at the top of the ticket.

"I've not heard a bunch of kumbaya," she said in June.

She left Talarico's personal phone call sitting in her voicemail – unanswered, unlistened to – for weeks.

"I had a missed call that I've not returned, nor have I listened to the message," she told reporters.

The man offered her the keynote speaking slot and she couldn't be bothered to press play.

This is what the Democrat Party actually looks like underneath the resistance branding.

The moment they get close to winning something real – a Senate seat in Texas for the first time in 32 years – the identity grievances blow the whole thing up.

The left has convinced itself that losing with the right coalition is better than winning with the wrong one.

Ken Paxton survived impeachment, survived indictment, and survived the Republican establishment trying to bury him.

He's going to love surviving this too.

Sources:

  • Sierra Marlee, "Ro Khanna has a hot take on Jasmine Crockett: She's 'BRILLIANT'," BizPacReview, August 31, 2026.
  • "Jasmine Crockett: No plans to campaign for James Talarico," Washington Times, August 28, 2026.
  • "Jasmine Crockett Snubs Texas Dem Convention, Leaves Senate Nominee Talarico Hanging," Tampa Free Press, June 20, 2026.
  • "Ro Khanna vows to bring investigations if Democrats win 2026 elections amid 2028 rumors," Washington Examiner, August 2026.
  • "James Talarico defeats Jasmine Crockett to win Democratic primary in Texas Senate race," Fox News, March 4, 2026.