In a strategic move that could potentially backfire, Ohio Democrat Rep.
Emilia Sykes, who is considered vulnerable, has sought a fundraising alliance with Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D., Texas).
Crockett, a left-wing firebrand, is notorious for her controversial remarks aimed at Republicans.
According to The Washington Free Beacon, the duo established a joint fundraising committee, the Crockett Sykes Victory Fund, on April 2. This move came approximately two weeks after Crockett's derogatory reference to Texas's wheelchair-bound Greg Abbott (R.) as "Governor Hot Wheels." The Federal Election Commission filing reveals that this arrangement will enable Democrats to leverage each other's fundraising efforts, potentially garnering larger donations.
However, Sykes's choice to align with a controversial, left-wing figure may boost her coffers but could potentially alienate the moderate voters she needs to secure victory in what is predicted to be a tight race in 2026. Last year, Sykes won her race by a slim margin of less than 3 percentage points after the National Republican Congressional Committee identified her seat as a "prime pick-up opportunity." Her strategy involved distancing herself from divisive presidential candidates and focusing on local media and small community events.
In contrast, Crockett has embraced divisive politics, making several remarks that have drawn criticism in the weeks leading up to her partnership with Sykes. She has also supported far-left positions such as diversity hires and defunding the police.
During a speech at the Los Angeles chapter of the Human Rights Campaign on March 22, Crockett referred to Abbott as "Governor Hot Wheels," stating, "We in these hot ass Texas streets, honey. Yall know we got Governor Hot Wheels down there. Come on now! And the only thing hot about him is that he's a hot-ass mess, honey! Yes, yes, yes, yes!" Her comments were met with applause.
Crockett later claimed that her comments were in reference to "the planes, trains, and automobiles [Abbott] used to transfer migrants into communities led by Black mayors." However, she had previously liked Facebook comments in 2021 referring to the Republican governor as "hot wheels," a year before Abbott began busing migrants to Democratic cities.
Days after her comments about Abbott, Crockett told Lone Star Politics that Democrats need to be "O.K. with punching" if they want to win their elections and that Sen. Ted Cruz (R., Texas) "has to be knocked over the head, like hard." She added, "The reality is we're dealing with an administration that is lawless and disrespectful and so the idea that we're still going to be nice and friendly and kind and try to look for some sense of normalcy when we're literally living in a time that is anything but normal," she said. "I think that you punch, I think you punch, I think you [sic] O.K. with punching."
Crockett has also labeled President Donald Trump a "white supremacist" and an "enemy of the United States." In June, she accused Rep. Byron Donalds (R., Fla.) of being "whitewashed" for marrying a white woman, although it remains unclear if she holds the same views about former Vice President Kamala Harris, who is married to a white man.
Crockett's radical rhetoric extends to her policies as well. She recently seemed to embrace diversity hires, saying her race helped her land a job. "When I first became a public defender, I had no criminal defense experience," Crockett said during an April 3 House Judiciary subcommittee hearing. "I walked in, and I told my boss, Charlie, I said, Listen, you should hire me. He said, Why? I said, Because I'm black."
Furthermore, she expressed support for defunding the police in May 2021 and compared the police response during the George Floyd riots to the "dogs and water hoses" unleashed during civil rights protests in the 1960s. "The defund movement seeks to actually bring about healing and finally invest in our communities to make them safer, addressing the root causes of crime," Crockett said while serving as a state representative in Texas. "Defund is about finally being smart on crime."
However, crime rates in major cities across the nation have surged following the "defund the police" movement. The summer 2020 riots resulted in more than $2 billion in damages, as reported by Axios.
Neither Sykes nor Crockett responded to requests for comment. This alliance between Sykes and Crockett raises questions about the potential impact on Sykes's campaign, given Crockett's controversial remarks and radical positions. It remains to be seen how this partnership will influence the 2026 election and whether it will help or hinder Sykes's chances of victory.
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