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Maryland Sen. Angela Alsobrooks is stepping into the Texas Senate race — and she’s doing it in a big way.
The freshman Democrat announced Wednesday (February 18) that she’s endorsing Rep. Jasmine Crockett in the state’s closely watched Democratic primary, making her the first sitting U.S. senator to formally back the Texas congresswoman’s bid for the upper chamber.
Alsobrooks framed the endorsement as a call for bold leadership at a time when control of Congress — and the direction of the country — remains deeply contested.
“In the Senate, we need leaders who are both willing to take on tough fights and to work across the aisle to get things done on behalf of their constituents,” Alsobrooks said in a statement, per The Hill. “Now more than ever, we need fighters whose north star is and always will be the people they serve. I cannot wait to call them colleagues.”
Crockett, who has become a nationally recognized figure for her unapologetic defense of voting rights, civil liberties and marginalized communities, is locked in a competitive primary against Texas state Rep. James Talarico.
Polling shows a race that’s still fluid. A January University of Houston survey, per The Hill, found Crockett leading with 47% support among likely Democratic primary voters, compared to 39% for Talarico, with 12% undecided. But an Emerson College poll conducted more recently showed Talarico ahead at 47%, with Crockett at 38% and 15% of voters still making up their minds.
The money race is just as intense. Talarico’s campaign said it raised $2.5 million in the 24 hours after his appearance on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, though the segment ultimately did not air due to concerns over the Federal Communications Commission’s equal-time rule. Crockett, for her part, ended 2025 with more than $5.6 million cash on hand, according to Federal Election Commission filings — a sign that her campaign infrastructure is well-established heading into the final weeks.
Early voting is already underway and runs through Feb. 27, with primary voters heading to the polls on March 3.
The stakes are high. The Democratic nominee will go on to face whichever Republican emerges from a crowded GOP field that includes incumbent Sen. John Cornyn, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, and Rep. Wesley Hunt.
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