DALLAS — Texas state Rep. Jasmine Crockett on Tuesday was cruising to a first-place finish in the race to replace longtime U.S. Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson, but the Democrat is likely to face a runoff against former congressional chief of staff Jane Hamilton.
Armed with the backing of Johnson and millions of dollars in support from two super PACs, Crockett was the clear front-runner in the nine-person field. In the weeks before the primary, the PACs -- controlled by cryptocurrency financiers -- flooded television airways with commercials boosting Crockett as well as leveraging digital ads and direct mail.
The freshman state representative from Dallas had hoped to win the contest without having to enter a runoff, but early voting returns showed her just short of the 50% needed to avoid a runoff.
Hamilton, the former chief of staff for U.S. Rep. Marc Veasey, hopes a runoff will reset the race and give her time to galvanize support.
Elsewhere in North Texas, incumbent Democrat Colin Allred was nominated without a challenge to his Dallas-area seat, and Veasey, of Fort Worth, was headed to an easy primary victory.
The retirement of Johnson could retool a district that includes growth areas, business hubs and neighborhoods plagued by lingering problems of inequity and poverty.
It includes downtown, the old Union Station that is now named for Johnson, Love Field, South Dallas, Deep Ellum and the southern suburbs.
Johnson, 86, is serving her 15th two-year term, so replacing her is a watershed event in local politics.
The incumbent backed Crockett, 40, days after announcing her retirement. It stirred the Dallas political scene because Johnson is viewed as a moderate in the mode of Joe Biden, while Crockett is seen as a progressive closer to U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren, who has backed her.
Crockett, a Dallas lawyer, has praised the congresswoman’s decades-long push for voter and economic empowerment. But in the past, she questioned Johnson’s vote for the 1994 crime bill that critics say promoted mass incarceration.
“One of the things that she said about me is that the district really would benefit from young energy,” Crockett said of Johnson’s endorsement.
As a freshman in the Legislature, Crockett became one of the faces of the walkout by House Democratic lawmakers to stall a GOP-driven elections bill. The quorum break, which involved over 50 Democrats camping out in Washington, D.C., raised Crockett’s profile as she became a fixture on progressive media shows.
“It’s going to be a lot of the same song, but it’s just going to be remixed a little bit,” Crockett said of what she’d bring to the district.
Her rivals tried to make an issue of her support from the super PACs, which included a Web 3 Forward and Protect Our Future. Crockett said the groups were interested in backing a winner.
Hamilton, 43, said her experience in working on issues important to the district is what sets her apart. She was the campaign manager for the successful efforts of Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins and Veasey. In 2006, she led the coordinated effort that helped turn Dallas County blue and the campaign of Democrat Craig Watkins, Texas’ first Black district attorney.
“I plan on getting things done. And that’s what I have always done, delivered results,” Hamilton said.
Hamilton is backed by former U.S. trade representative and Dallas mayor Ron Kirk, Dallas County Commissioner John Wiley Price and Veasey.
The crowded field presented a challenge for candidates, who had little time to break through.
After early voting numbers were released, former state Rep Barbara Mallory Caraway of Dallas was running third.
Abel Mulugheta, 33, was backed by state Rep. Rafael Anchia of Dallas. The former legislative staffer touted his work on key issues as important experience, including criminal justice reform bills and natural gas safety legislation. But he was far off the pace.
Other candidates included former Dallas council member Vonciel Jones Hill, Cedar Hill ISD trustee Keisha Willams-Lanford, Navy veteran Jessica Mason, former Dallas County Constable Roy Williams Jr. and community organizer Arthur Dixon.
There were several other key Democratic primaries for Congress in the Lone Star State.
In District 28 in South Texas, progressive challenger Jessica Cisneros is in a rematch against incumbent Rep. Henry Cuellar.
In 2020, Cisneros lost to Cuellar by less than 3,000 votes. But this year, she was able to capitalize on a recent FBI raid of Cuellar’s Laredo home. The race is a test of the strength progressive Democrats wield in the district.
In central Texas’ District 35, progressives pushed the candidacy of former Austin council member Greg Casar in the seat that opened after Rep. Lloyd Doggett opted to run in the new, nearby District 3. Other candidates included Democratic state Rep. Eddie Rodriguez and former San Antonio City Council member Rebecca Viagran.
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