The overview
Jasmine Crockett, Ahmad R. Hassan and James Talarico are competing for the Democratic nomination for a six-year term in the U.S. Senate. Each state has two U.S. senators, with Ted Cruz and John Cornyn currently representing Texas. Cornyn, whose seat is up for election, is running for re-election in an eight-way Republican primary.
The winning Democratic candidate will face the winner of the Republican nomination in November; the winner of that election will be sworn in to the U.S. Senate in January 2027.
Information about the Republican candidates for U.S. Senate is available here.
Preparing for the polls
Early voting begins Feb. 17 for March 3 primary races across Texas, including 18 statewide races and various local races. Registered voters may cast ballots in either Texas’ Republican or Democratic primary, but not both. Third-party candidates will appear on the ballot in November.
For more coverage of state and local races, visit communityimpact.com/election.
Zooming in
Community Impact gave all candidates running for contested statewide offices more than three weeks to complete the primary election questionnaire and communicated with their campaigns periodically. Community Impact's goal with election Q&As is to provide a side-by-side, equitable resource for Texas voters to review candidates' perspectives as they prepare to head to the polls.
To ensure that candidates are the ones defining their positions in Community Impact's voter guide, if candidates did not complete the questionnaire after multiple attempts to contact them, the website reads "candidate did not respond to questionnaire before press time." Candidates were informed of this policy.
Candidates were asked to keep responses under 50 words, answer the questions provided and avoid attacking opponents. Answers may have been minimally edited or cut to adhere to those guidelines, or for style and clarity.
Jasmine Crockett
Occupation & Experience:
Former Democratic Party chair, civil rights attorney, state legislator, member of Congress, Texas Tough
Candidate Website:
https://www.jasmineforus.com
Contact Information:
info@jasmineforus.com
What would your top priorities be if elected?
My three priorities are affordability, healthcare, and immigration and trade. First, I will lower everyday costs through affordable housing, childcare, groceries, gas, and higher wages. Second, I will continue to fight for universal healthcare as I support Medicare for All. Third, I support immigration reform and policies that strengthen workers.
How will you ensure Texans are able to receive the appropriate aid after natural disasters?
I ensure disaster aid reaches Texans by unlocking frozen federal funds, securing infrastructure investments, and holding agencies accountable. I helped secure $4.8 million for flood and water projects, expanded LIHEAP energy assistance, and introduced the HIRE CREDIT Act to help disaster victims find jobs and rebuild faster.
What action is needed to ensure Texas remains a national energy leader?
Texas can lead by investing in clean energy, manufacturing, and agriculture while cutting emissions. As a member of the Sustainable Energy Environment Coalition, I’ve advanced sustainable aviation fuel, supported Investing in energy jobs, and led the EMIT LESS Act to strengthen energy leadership, rural economies, supply chains, and long-term competitiveness.
What will you do to support small businesses and promote economic growth in Texas?
I support small businesses by driving investment into underserved communities, expanding access to capital, and creating jobs. I co-lead bipartisan legislation designating brownfield and Superfund sites as Opportunity Zones, unlocking private investment to redevelop land into small businesses, housing, and local economic engines while cleaning up polluted communities.
What do you see as the greatest challenge for Texas in the next five years?
The greatest challenge Texas faces in the next five years is affordability. Rising housing, healthcare, energy, and food costs are squeezing families while wages lag behind. Combined with climate-driven extreme weather and strained infrastructure, Texas must act now to lower costs and protect long-term opportunity.
Ahmad R. Hassan
Occupation & Experience:
Candidate did not provide occupation and experience before press time.
Candidate Website:
https://www.hassanfortexas.com
Contact Information:
drhassan06@yahoo.com
What would your top priorities be if elected?
My top priorities would be lowering the cost of health care and prescription drugs, expanding access to quality care, and making life more affordable for Texas families. I would also work to create more good jobs and support small businesses so our economy grows for everyone.
How will you ensure Texans are able to receive the appropriate aid after natural disasters?
I will fight for fast federal disaster aid and strong support from FEMA so families and communities get help quickly after floods and storms. I will also back investment in systems that help communities prepare before disasters happen.
What action is needed to ensure Texas remains a national energy leader?
I will support policies that keep energy reliable and affordable while investing in new clean energy technologies like wind and solar. This helps protect jobs and allows Texas to lead in the future of energy without sacrificing current energy strength.
What will you do to support small businesses and promote economic growth in Texas?
I will back easier access to loans and capital for small businesses, reduce red tape that slows growth, and invest in job training and broadband so communities thrive and local economies grow.
What do you see as the greatest challenge for Texas in the next five years?
The greatest challenge will be the cost of living — especially rising health care, housing, and insurance costs. I will push for federal solutions that help lower costs and make life more affordable for families.
James Talarico
Occupation & Experience:
Texas state representative and Presbyterian seminarian; Texas legislature (2018-present), former middle school teacher
Candidate Website:
https://www.jamestalarico.com
Contact Information:
info@jamestalarico.com
What would your top priorities be if elected?
We must tackle corruption to bring costs for working people. Right now, billionaires and corporations are getting tax breaks while costs are rising for the rest of us. We should ban corporate PACs and get Big Money out of our politics to make our economy work for working people.
How will you ensure Texans are able to receive the appropriate aid after natural disasters?
We should expand eligibility for FEMA’s Pre-Disaster Mitigation Program to help fortify at-risk homes and businesses, and more effectively provide assistance after disasters like Hurricane Harvey instead of leaving families in crisis. I will work closely with FEMA to ensure impact communities receive equitable, timely access to funding.
What action is needed to ensure Texas remains a national energy leader?
We should add to Texas’ hundreds of thousands of existing energy jobs by creating good-paying jobs in new industries like geothermal, solar, wind, hydrogen-fueled, and other types of renewable energy. I support reinstating federal tax credits, loans, and other tools that diversify energy production and accelerate renewable energy development.
What will you do to support small businesses and promote economic growth in Texas?
We must end extreme tax breaks for large corporations to even the playing field for small businesses, expand support for community development financial institutions to increase access to credit and capital, broaden eligibility for Small Business Administration loans, and support states in providing more equity investment and technical assistance.
What do you see as the greatest challenge for Texas in the next five years?
The cost of living. DC politicians are enriching their donors while the rest of us struggle to get by. We must close tax loopholes and make the wealthiest pay their fair share so that we can afford programs that lower taxes, healthcare, childcare, and other costs for working Americans.
