Jasmine Crockett already told America her Senate primary loss was a "racist race."
Now the Texas Democrat Party's own vice chair said it on tape.
Democrats need Texas to flip the Senate – and their nominee just lost the one woman whose job was to get out the black vote.
The Recording the Democrat Party Does Not Want You to Hear
Sheena Flanary is not some fringe activist.
She is the Texas Democrat Party Vice Chair for Voter Engagement.
On September 7, she was secretly recorded agreeing with an undercover interviewer that Talarico's primary win over Crockett was "intentionally racist and sexist."
Then she went further.
She described reaching out to the Talarico campaign multiple times – with nothing to gain for herself – and getting the cold shoulder every time.
"I tried to reach out a few times, and it wasn't receptive and reciprocated," Flanary said in the recording.
https://twitter.com/Sandy1Texas/status/2107801420539760662?s=20
She said the interactions left "a bad taste in my mouth."
She told the interviewer that she and her husband even offered to host a fundraiser for Talarico.
He turned down their money.
"Okay, so do you want black people to help you, or you don't want black people to help you?" she said. "It was kind of weird."
This Is Not an Isolated Complaint
Crockett herself refused to campaign for Talarico and publicly said she doesn't think black voters are excited about him.
Texas Democrat State Rep. Jolanda Jones warned over the summer that Talarico's failure to engage black voters put him at a serious disadvantage.
"Talarico needs to pay for us to get our voters out," Jones said. "Only then does Talarico have a chance to win."
Talarico scrambled to respond – announcing a $25 million get-out-the-vote effort targeting black voters in July.
He pledged support for reparations.
https://twitter.com/DallasExpress/status/2105773253805445525?s=20
He made appearances at black churches.
But on Monday – with 28 days until election day – Talarico was a no-show at a black voter outreach event because he had the flu.
The RNC put it plainly.
"James Talarico is either taking black voters for granted or giving up on them altogether," said RNC spokesman Zach Kraft. "Talarico's attempt to heal his relationship with black voters is simply mediocre."
Democrats Have Been Here Before
This is not a new story.
White Democrat candidates have been making church visits and reparations promises to black voters for decades – and then losing when the turnout doesn't materialize.
Hillary Clinton learned this the hard way in 2016 when black voter turnout collapsed in Michigan, Wisconsin, and Pennsylvania and handed Donald Trump the presidency.
In Texas, a Democrat needs black voters to exceed 12% of overall turnout with roughly 90% support just to be competitive.
He said so himself at the Democrat Black Caucus: "There is no way to win this race without black Texans – no way at all."
But his vice chair for voter engagement just said on tape that his campaign wouldn't take her phone calls.
https://twitter.com/DallasExpress/status/2105416417822613893?s=20
That is not a messaging problem.
That is a fatal structural problem – with 28 days left on the clock.
Democrats need to flip Texas – and three other Republican seats – just to take control of the Senate.
Talarico was their best shot at Texas in 38 years.
Ken Paxton and the RNC have to be watching this tape and smiling.
The one thing Talarico needed to win was black enthusiasm – and the tape just proved he may have killed it before the campaign even got off the ground.
Sources:
- Craig Bannister, "Talarico's Disregard for Blacks Exposed by Texas Democrat in Undercover Recording," CNSNews, October 6, 2026.
- Jacob Wheeler, "Black Democrat Official Says James Talarico Has A Big Race Problem," The Daily Wire, October 6, 2026.
- "Jasmine Crockett Blasts Her Texas Democratic Primary Loss as 'Racist Race,'" Fox News, July 9, 2026.
- "Jasmine Crockett Not Planning to Campaign for James Talarico in Texas Senate Race," Washington Examiner, August 28, 2026.
- "James Talarico Pledges $25 Million to Win Over Black Voters in U.S. Senate Campaign," Houston Public Media, July 2026.
- "Dems Worry James Talarico Lacks Support From Black Voters to Win Texas Senate Race," Daily Signal, August 23, 2026.
