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|
Jasmine Crockett | |
|---|---|
| Official portrait, 2023 | |
| Member of the U.S.HouseofRepresentatives from Texas's 30th district | |
| Assumed office January 3, 2023 | |
| Preceded by | Eddie Bernice Johnson |
| Member of the TexasHouseofRepresentatives from the 100th district | |
| In office January 12,2021 –January 3,2023 | |
| Preceded by | Lorraine Birabil |
| Succeeded by | Venton Jones |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Jasmine Felicia Crockett March 29,1981 St. Louis,Missouri,U.S. |
| Party | Democratic |
| Education | Rhodes College (BA) Texas Southern University University of Houston (JD) |
| Signature | |
| Website | House website Campaign website |
Jasmine Felicia Crockett (born March 29, 1981) is an American politician serving as the U.S. representative for Texas's 30th congressional district since 2023. A member of the Democratic Party, she represented the 100th district in the Texas House of Representatives from 2021 to 2023.
Born in St. Louis, Missouri, Crockett graduated from Rhodes College with a Bachelor of Arts and from the University of Houston Law Center with a Juris Doctor. Afterward, she was a public defender in Bowie County, Texas, and later formed her own law firm. She was elected to the Texas House in 2020, succeeding Mayor Eric Johnson.
Crockett was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 2022.
In 2026, Crockett was a candidate in the U.S. Senate election in Texas, losing the Democratic primary to state representative James Talarico.
Crockett was born in St. Louis, Missouri, to Rev. Joseph Crockett and his wife, Gwen Crockett, a former postal worker. [1] [2] She attended Mary Institute and St. Louis Country Day School and Rosati-Kain Academy. [3]
While Crockett was performing in Little Shop of Horrors at Rhodes College, a professor recognized her public speaking ability and encouraged her to join mock trial, where she began developing her legal voice. [4] Crockett stated she became interested in practicing law after she and other black students became the "victim of a series of hate crimes". [5] She graduated in 2003 with a Bachelor of Arts in business administration. [6]
She began law school at Thurgood Marshall School of Law at Texas Southern University before graduating from the University of Houston Law Center in 2006 with a Juris Doctor and passed the bar examination. [7]
From 2007 to 2010, Jasmine Crockett was an attorney for Bowie County Public Defender's Office in Texas, where she defended juveniles and worked to prevent them from being incarcerated. [8] [9] In 2010, Crockett ran for and lost in the Bowie County district attorney race. She was later elected to chair Bowie County's Democratic Party. [10]
In 2010, Crockett started her own law firm, Crockett Law PLLC, which operated until 2022. She has represented thousands of Texans' cases and handled high-profile lawsuits involving police brutality and other cases involving racial injustice. [11] Her practice focused on civil rights, criminal defense, and personal injury law, including representing protesters in Dallas and pro bono cases for Black Lives Matter activists. [5]
In 2019, after Eric Johnson vacated his seat in the Texas House to become mayor of Dallas, a special election was held on November 5 with a runoff on January 28, 2020, for the remainder of his term, which Lorraine Birabil won. [12] Crockett challenged Birabil in the 2020 Democratic primary. She narrowly defeated Birabil in a primary runoff, advancing to the November 2020 general election, which she won unopposed. She assumed office in January 2021. [13] [14]
In the summer of 2021, Democrats in the Texas House of Representatives, including Crockett, organized a quorum-bust in an attempt to stop the passage of legislation they saw as restricting voting rights in the state. [15] These representatives flew to Washington, D.C., to lobby the United States Senate to pass the John Lewis Voting Rights Act and the For the People Act. [16] Crockett was a major advocate of maintaining the quorum break, however she returned to the state once quorum was reestablished and the legislation stalled in the Senate. [17] [18]
During her tenure, she filed more bills than any other freshman legislator, voted numerous times against efforts to restrict abortion access, and petitioned the Supreme Court of the United States to strike down Texas' six week abortion ban as unconstitutional. [19] Three bills she co-authored became law. [4] These included legislation that wipes certain in-court fees for recently incarcerated persons [20] and criminalizes financial abuse of the elderly. [21] She was a founding member of the Texas Caucus on Climate, Energy, and the Environment, a bipartisan caucus working to reduce pollution and grow the economy in Texas. [22]
On November 20, 2021, incumbent representative Eddie Bernice Johnson of Texas's 30th congressional district announced she would not seek reelection in 2022. [23] Four days later, Crockett declared her candidacy for the seat. Johnson simultaneously announced that she was backing Crockett. [24] [25] Crockett also received extensive financial support from Super PACs aligned with the cryptocurrency industry, with Sam Bankman-Fried's Protect Our Future PAC giving $1 million in support of her campaign. [26] Protect Our Future has said it is "supporting candidates who take a long term view on policy planning especially as it relates to pandemic preparedness and prevention" and Crockett aligns with that goal. [27] In the Democratic primary election, Crockett and Jane Hope Hamilton, an aide to U.S. representative Marc Veasey, advanced to a runoff election, [28] which Crockett won. [29] She then won the general election on November 8. [30]
During the 118th Congress, Crockett served as the Democratic freshman class representative between the House Democratic leadership and the approximately 35 newly-elected Democratic members. [31]
In a 2023 impeachment hearing for President Joe Biden, Crockett accused fellow congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene and other Republicans of hypocrisy. She claimed that those launching the impeachment inquiry, and those who brought forth charges against Biden, were ignoring documented evidence of President Donald Trump's own criminal offenses; she displayed photos from the FBI search of Mar-a-Lago, depicting Trump storing classified documents inside a bathroom (and in other locations lacking security), to which she remarked, "These are our national secrets—looks like in the shitter to me." [32] [33] [34] A clip of that moment went viral on social media, with a TikTok fan edit gaining over 8 million views and support from Mark Hamill, while Crockett later told CNN that younger Democrats want leaders to push back more forcefully against GOP talking points. [35]
In July 2023, Crockett and Congressman Lance Gooden introduced the Secure Testing Resources Instead of Prosecuting (STRIP) Act, which would amend the Controlled Substances Act to change federal rules that currently ban the use, sale, import, and export of fentanyl testing strips as they are classified as drug paraphernalia. [36] She played a role in advancing the Senior Nutrition Task Force Act of 2023, which aims to create a federal task force to study senior hunger and recommend solutions. The findings is to help Congress craft future legislation that improves food access for seniors and people with disabilities. [37] She used her position on the House Agriculture Committee to push back on Republican proposals to cut food stamps. [38] She also used her seat on the House Oversight Committee to press the U.S. Postal Service on its labor practices after the death of Eugene Gates Jr., a Dallas letter carrier who collapsed on the job during a heat wave. [39] [40] She invited Gates’ widow to be her guest at the 2024 State of the Union address. [41]
In November 2023, Crockett and Congressman Max Miller of Ohio introduced the Farm to Fuselage Act, which is a bipartisan proposal aimed at boosting U.S. production of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) by integrating it more directly into federal agriculture programs when Congress updates the Farm Bill [42] so farmers can more easily grow crops used for sustainable aviation fuel, helping expand cleaner jet fuel production in the U.S. [43] She co-sponsored a bill called the Resilient Employment and Authorization Determination to Increase National Employment of Serving Spouses (READINESS) Act, which aims to help military spouses keep their federal government jobs when their service member partner is transferred to a new duty station. [44]
In March 2024, Crockett obtained $510,000 in community project funding for Glenn Heights and helping secure $80 million in federal infrastructure grants for North Texas through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. [45] Along with House members Seth Magaziner, Nikki Budzinski, and Greg Casar, she introduced the Protected Time Off Act (PTO Act), a bill that guarantees paid vacation time for American workers nationwide. [46]
In August 2024, Crockett addressed the 2024 Democratic National Convention and referenced the incident. When comparing Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris to Trump, the Republican nominee, she said of the latter, "He keeps national secrets next to his thinking chair—y'all know what I said the other time." [47] She served as a co-chair of the 2024 Harris–Walz campaign. [48]
In November 2024, she won a second term to House of Representatives, joining the 119th United States Congress. [49]
In February 2024, Crockett has introduced House Bill 7412 to fix administrative barriers in the Rural Housing Voucher program that make it harder for elderly and disabled Texans in rural areas to access housing assistance. The bill would simplify notices, encourage landlords to accept vouchers, and streamline approvals for at-risk tenants as part of broader reforms to the Rural Housing Service Reform Act and the U.S. Department of Agriculture' s Section 515 rural housing program. [50] She also cosponsored the Connect the Grid Act, which will require Texas to connect its independent power grid to neighboring states and reduce the autonomy of the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT). The bill represents a major challenge to Texas' long-standing policy of maintaining an independent power grid and would significantly reshape how the state manages and trades electricity.
In December 2024, Crockett introduced the HIRE CREDIT Act, a federal tax-related bill designed to help people who have lost jobs and homes due to federally declared disasters by encouraging employers to hire them. [51]
In January 2025. Crockett was appointed to the House Judiciary Committee. [52]
In March 2025, Crockett called Texas Governor Greg Abbott, who is handicapped and uses a wheelchair, "Governor Hot Wheels" and a "Hot Ass Mess" at a speech onstage during Human Rights Campaign's annual dinner. Crockett denied that the comment had to do with Abbott's condition, instead saying that it referenced the "planes, trains, and automobiles" he used to transfer migrants to Democratic communities. Representative Randy Weber filed a censure resolution against Crockett. [53]
In May 2025, Crockett decried and voted against the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, saying "This is literally a reverse Robin Hood," as the reconciliation bill is cutting resources from those who need them most and giving them to the rich. [54]
In June 2025, Crockett announced her candidacy for ranking member of the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform. She later withdrew from the race to become the ranking member after placing last in the House Democratic Steering and Policy Committee vote. [55]
In August 2025, Crockett and Congressman Zach Nunn introduced the Next Generation of Farmers Act, a piece of legislation that aims to make it easier for beginning farmers to access USDA direct farm real estate loans, reducing barriers that prevent young or first-generation farmers from purchasing land. [56]
In October 2025, amidst a record length government shutdown, Crockett introduced the HELP FEDs Act, which will protect federal employees who miss student loan payments during a government shutdown by preventing late fees, penalties, extra interest, or negative credit reporting if their pay is disrupted. It would apply to federal student loans issued under the Higher Education Act and would retroactively cover pay disruptions. [57]
In December 2025, Crockett and Rep. Morgan McGarvey and Sens. Rand Paul and Cory Booker introduced the Breonna Taylor Act, which is legislation that will ban no-knock search warrants nationwide. [58]
In January 2026, Crockett introduced the Transparency Requirements for Aircraft Carriers to Know Immigration Conduct and Enforcement Act, or the TRACK ICE Act, alongside Congressman Dan Goldman to impose new transparency requirements on federal immigration enforcement flights as a check on Trump's crackdown on illegal immigration. With Mike Lawler, Jeff Jackson, and Rich McCormick, she co-sponsored the Remote Access Security Act, which aims to close a loophole in U.S. export control laws that currently allows Chinese entities to access advanced U.S. semiconductor technology remotely through cloud services. [59]
In December 2025, Crockett announced her bid for U.S. Senate in Texas in the 2026 election. [67] In the Democratic primary, she faced state representative James Talarico and perennial candidate Ahmad Hassan. [68] [69]
In February 2026, Crockett came under criticism for seemingly using AI in a Super Bowl campaign advertisement, to generate a crowd of supporters. The criticism was first raised by Democratic strategist Keith Edwards, who claimed to have found a SynthID watermark in the ad, indicating the use of Google Gemini. In a response, Crockett's team did not deny the allegations. [70]
Former Vice President Kamala Harris [71] and Cardi B [72] endorsed Crockett.
On March 3, 2026, she lost the Texas Senate Democratic primary to Talarico. [73] After her concession, Crockett released a statement calling for unity: "Texas is primed to turn blue and we must remain united because this is bigger than any one person. This is about the future of all 30 million Texans and getting America back on track. With the primary behind us, Democrats must rally around our nominees and win." [74] [75]
A member of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, Crockett has been labeled as a progressive Democrat. Crockett, however, has personally distanced herself from the label, calling her positions "common sense". [76] [77] [78]
Crockett has voted against rescinding Title IX protections, against limits on abortion-related coverage for servicemembers and against funding for anti-abortion centers. [79]
Crockett supports reform to the current filibuster rules in the Senate, including creating carveouts for certain categories of legislation like voting rights. [80] [81]
Crockett proposed a law that would allow people facing nonviolent misdemeanors to receive citations instead of jail time. She filed bills that she said would minimize police contact with Black and brown people and save them from "unreasonable uses of force." [82] [83]
Crockett argued that Congress needs to raise the tax rate on billionaires. She voted against the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which she referred to as "the Big, Ugly Bill." She wants to raise taxes on the wealthy. [84]
Crockett, who owns a firearm and is licensed to carry, supports a ban on assault weapons. She has opined that private individuals owning assault weapons is "the equivalent of some of these people having a cannon... People literally have almost no chance of surviving when some of these weapons are used." [85] She acknowledges that passage of an assault weapons ban in Texas is likely not politically achievable. [77]
Crockett has voted against funding the Department of Homeland Security and she has voiced support for impeaching former Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem. [86]
Crockett's voting record on issues related to the Israeli–Palestinian conflict, including support for several pro-Israel resolutions and military aid measures during the Gaza war, has drawn criticism. [87] [88] Crockett frequently frames her position as supporting Israel's security while pushing for humanitarian protections and ceasefire language. [89] Some progressive and Palestinian rights advocacy organizations give her low marks on issue-based scorecards and have urged her to call for a ceasefire in Gaza. [90] In August 2023, she took a trip to Israel with Party leadership to tour the Iron Dome. [87] Track AIPAC, an anti-AIPAC organization, has characterized her as having "a poor legislative record on Israel–Palestine issues". [91]
Crockett supports raising the national minimum wage of $7.25. [92]
Crockett supports expanding the number of justices on the court and the adoption of an enforceable code of ethics for the justices. [80] [81]
In 2021, Crockett participated in a Democratic walkout from the Texas House of Representatives to protest and block a bill they claimed would restrict voting accessibility. [93] In 2023, she introduced the Democracy Restoration Act in the house, which would enfranchise millions of convicts who have been released from prison. [94] Crockett argued that only federal legislation can prevent millions of Texans from being disenfranchised and warned the changes could affect upcoming midterm elections, including Governor Abbott's re-election race. She described the fight over voting rights as a "modern-day civil rights movement." [95]
In a Vanity Fair interview, Crockett said Democrats need to "take a page or two, or three or four, out of Donald Trump's book." [96]
In an Oversight Committee hearing on May 16, 2024, Crockett responded to the following barb by Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene: "I think your fake eyelashes are messing up what you're reading." Committee chairman James Comer ruled that this remark did not violate House protocol. To clarify the limits on personal comments, Crockett asked "If someone on this committee then starts talking about somebody's bleach-blonde, bad-built, butch body, that would not be engaging in personalities, correct?" [97] [98] Comer responded with "... a what, now?" On August 19, 2024, the first night of the 2024 Democratic National Convention, Crockett spoke about Republican nominee Donald Trump, and asked, "will a vindictive vile villain violate voters' vision?" [99]
Congressman Jamie Raskin has described her style "as a combination of a lawyer's "sharp analysis and lucid exposition" and a 'Texan's folksy and intimate manner.'" [100]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Lorraine Birabil (incumbent) | 4,566 | 29.3 | |
| Democratic | Jasmine Crockett | 4,030 | 25.9 | |
| Democratic | Sandra Crenshaw | 2,944 | 18.9 | |
| Democratic | Daniel Davis Clayton | 1,665 | 10.9 | |
| Democratic | James Armstrong III | 1,315 | 8.5 | |
| Democratic | Paul Stafford | 1,046 | 6.7 | |
| Total votes | 15,566 | 100.0 | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Jasmine Crockett | 5,171 | 50.4 | |
| Democratic | Lorraine Birabil (incumbent) | 5,081 | 49.6 | |
| Total votes | 10,252 | 100.0 | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Jasmine Crockett | 45,550 | 100.0 | |
| Total votes | 45,550 | 100.0 | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Jasmine Crockett | 26,798 | 48.5 | |
| Democratic | Jane Hope Hamilton | 9,436 | 17.1 | |
| Democratic | Keisha Williams-Lankford | 4,323 | 7.8 | |
| Democratic | Barbara Mallory Caraway | 4,277 | 7.7 | |
| Democratic | Abel Mulugheta | 3,284 | 5.9 | |
| Democratic | Roy Williams | 2,746 | 5.0 | |
| Democratic | Vonciel Hill | 1,886 | 3.4 | |
| Democratic | Jessica Mason | 1,858 | 3.4 | |
| Democratic | Arthur Dixon | 677 | 1.2 | |
| Total votes | 55,285 | 100.0 | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Jasmine Crockett | 17,462 | 60.6 | |
| Democratic | Jane Hope Hamilton | 11,369 | 39.4 | |
| Total votes | 28,831 | 100.0 | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Jasmine Crockett | 134,876 | 74.72 | |
| Republican | James Rodgers | 39,209 | 21.72 | |
| Independent | Zachariah Manning | 3,820 | 2.12 | |
| Libertarian | Phil Gray | 1,870 | 1.04 | |
| Write-in | Debbie Walker | 738 | 0.41 | |
| Total votes | 180,513 | 100.0 | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Jasmine Crockett | 43,059 | 91.5 | |
| Democratic | Jarred Davis | 3,982 | 8.5 | |
| Total votes | 47,041 | 100.0 | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Jasmine Crockett | 197,650 | 84.9 | |
| Libertarian | Jrmar Jefferson | 35,175 | 15.1 | |
| Total votes | 232,825 | 100.0 | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | James Talarico | 1,211,299 | 52.5 | |
| Democratic | Jasmine Crockett | 1,067,446 | 46.2 | |
| Democratic | Ahmad Hassan | 30,872 | 1.3 | |
| Total votes | 100.0 | |||
Crockett is a Baptist [102] [103] and a member of Delta Sigma Theta sorority. [104] She made history when she became the very first Black female Democrat to play in the annual Congressional Baseball Game. [105]
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