‘A Gift To Republicans’: Top GOP Officials React To Crockett’s Senate Run

On Monday, Dallas Congresswoman and viral sensation Jasmine Crockett officially entered the octagon for the U.S. Senate seat currently held by Sen. John Cornyn. 

A contentious race was already expected, as historic adversaries Cornyn and Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton face off in the Republican primary. But Crockett’s last-minute entrance into the race for the state’s Democratic candidate put an even brighter spotlight on the Lone Star State. 

Since winning a seat in Congress, representing the Dallas area, Crockett has attracted both positive and negative press for being a vocal opponent of conservative ideology. Her boisterousness has garnered the attention of Republican leaders, including President Donald Trump, the top leader in charge, whom she extensively featured in her campaign announcement video. 

“Someone said she is one of the leaders of the party, I said, you gotta be kidding, now they’re going to rely on Crockett,” a voice recording of Trump plays over a still and dramatic shot of the Congresswoman, in the scrutinized campaign video. 

Trump has continuously called Crockett a “low-IQ person” and used her as a figurehead to admonish the Democratic Party, and doubled down on his statements when asked about the senatorial bid announcement. 

“She’s a low-IQ person, I can’t imagine she wins,” he said to a group of reporters. “I think it’s a gift to Republicans. She’s a terrible representative, I can’t believe she’s a politician, actually.” 

Just days in, Crockett’s campaign seems to rest heavily on anti-Trumpism. 

“I am the only one who has gone toe-to-toe with Trump, and there’s a reason he’s always got my name in his mouth,” she said at an official press conference for her campaign. “Trump, I know you’re watching, so let me tell you directly, you’re not entitled to a damn thing in Texas.” 

But Trump isn’t the only one who has had less-than-kind things to say about Crockett in the last 48 hours. 

Paxton appeared on right-wing media outlet Newsmax to discuss his opponents, throwing shots at both Cornyn and Crockett. 

“She’s running in the wrong state if she doesn’t think she needs Donald Trump’s supporters,” Paxton said. “… She has no chance of winning this election.” 

The attorney general soon began attacking Cornyn’s policies and devotion to Republican voters. 

“It is interesting how close [Crockett] and John Cornyn are,” he said. “She’s also been very complimentary of him, actually saying that he isn’t really the Republican he’s running as in the primary, he doesn’t really believe in the border law, he doesn’t really believe in Donald Trump, and she’s actually right about John Cornyn, that’s for sure.”

Cornyn himself wryly poked at Crockett’s reputation for audaciousness when asked about the new candidate.

“Am I hiding my glee? I’ll try to wipe the smile off my face. I would say it’s a gift,” Cornyn told the media outlet Semafor in an interview after Colin Allred dropped out of the race, making room for Crockett. “… Colin — obviously, he wasn’t successful before, but he was what I would call closer to a normal Democrat than Jasmine. [She] is something else,” Cornyn added.

Other Texas leaders have chimed in with quips about Crockett’s entry. 

“The Texas political cemetery is filled with blow hards like her who have no idea what it’s like to run statewide,” Gov. Greg Abbott wrote on X. “Looking forward to watching the circus– and KEEPING the US Senate seat red. On the bright side for her, maybe she’ll end up with a job on The View.”

Of the state’s highest-ranking politicians, one has been uniquely quiet. Sen. Ted Cruz, who, unlike the others, has no campaign trail to embark on until his term ends in 2031, has yet to release any official statement on the campaign. He has, however, tweeted about his latest enemy, Tucker Carlson, no less than 21 times this month.