Crockett launched her congressional campaign at Fair Park in Dallas on Wednesday afternoon.
“Some may wonder whether or not I’m ready. I’m here to tell you I’m ready,” Crockett said.
“I’m ready, and I’m what they call battle tested for real. There’s a number of people who will most likely enter this race. There are none that I believe will enter this race that have been battle tested like I have this session.”
After nearly thirty years representing the south Dallas County district on Capitol Hill, Johnson said this past weekend that her current term will be her last.
Johnson threw her support behind Crockett’s candidacy.
“A vibrant congressional district like TX-30 needs a representative in Washington with high energy, a passion to fight for us, shrewd intelligence, leadership, and an incessant drive. After proudly serving the City of Dallas and Southern sector for 30 years in the U.S. House of Representatives, I firmly believe that Texas State Representative Jasmine Crockett is just the person we need in Congress at this critical time,” Johnson said, according to the Texas Tribune.
On social media, Crocket had congratulated Johnson on her upcoming retirement, thanking the veteran congresswoman for “shattering glass ceilings and breaking down heavy doors for someone like me to walk through.”
Crockett, a criminal defense attorney and former chair of the Bowie County Democratic Party, was first elected to the seat representing House District 100 last year after defeating Rep. Lorraine Birabil (D-Dallas) in the Democratic runoff by 90 votes.
Birabil had won a special election in January 2020 to fill the vacancy left by Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson when he became mayor. She occupied the seat for a matter of months before Crockett ousted her.
Crockett would go on to win the district unopposed in the general election.
After the redistricting process, Crockett’s staunchly Democratic district became even more blue when it went from a D-79% to a D-85% on The Texan’s Texas Partisan Index.
She was the third most liberal member of the Texas House during the regular session of the 87th legislature, outranked only by Reps. Ana-Maria Ramos (D-Richardson) and Michelle Beckley (D-Carrollton), according to an analysis by Mark P. Jones of Rice University.
Crockett was one of the Texas House members who broke quorum by fleeing Austin during both the regular and special sessions in an attempt to prevent the passage of the Election Integrity Protection Act.
Before the second quorum bust, she referred to supporters of the proposed law as “terrorists” in a speech in front of the state Capitol on Father’s Day.
After many Democrats rejoined their Republican colleagues in the Texas House during the second called session, Crockett was among the Democrats who criticized members of their own party for giving the GOP the quorum it needed to pass the elections bill.
She joins a field including Democrat Jessica Mason, a Dallas activist and Navy veteran.
Crockett is the ninth Texas House incumbent running for other office.
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Hayden Sparks
Hayden Sparks is a senior reporter for The Texan and a lifelong resident of the Lone Star State. He has coached competitive speech and debate and has been involved in politics since a young age. One of Hayden's favorite quotes is by Sam Houston: "Texas has yet to learn submission to any oppression, come from what source it may."
