Democratic Rep. Jasmine Crockett of Texas, once a rising media favorite on the left, is now treating major outlets as adversaries as she fights for her political future
Crockett is locked in a contentious Democratic primary against state Rep. James Talarico for the chance to challenge Republican Sen. John Cornyn, with voters heading to the polls on Tuesday. According to Western Journal, her increasingly combative posture toward the press has become a defining feature of the race, raising questions about transparency, accountability and the lefts internal power struggles.
As reported by Western Journal, Semafor revealed that a reporter from the liberal Atlantic magazine, who had profiled Crockett last year, was expelled from a recent campaign event. The outlet also noted that Crocketts team had a CNN journalist removed from a campaign office, escalating tensions between the congresswoman and the very media ecosystem that typically champions progressive Democrats.
Crocketts souring relationship with the press comes as Talarico benefits from the kind of high-profile exposure she has not received. Talarico recently enjoyed a friendly interview with late-night host Stephen Colbert, while, according to Fox News, Crockett was never approached for a similar appearance by the mainstream outlet.
Atlantic reporter Elaine Godfrey authored a profile of Crockett last year, but Crockett later claimed she was shutting down the profile and revoking all provisions before the piece was published in July. Despite that objection, the article ran and has since become part of the backdrop to her current feud with the magazine.
Atlantic editor Jeffrey Goldberg said one of his reporters had been properly registered to attend a Crockett campaign event, only to be ordered out after asking questions and then escorted away. In a democracy, elected officials answer questions from the press rather than hide from them, Goldberg said.
This is completely unacceptable behavior by Rep. Crockett and her team, and needs to be addressed immediately, he added. For a party that routinely lectures conservatives about press freedom, Crocketts actions present an awkward contradiction.
Semafor further reported that Crocketts campaign called Capitol Police on CNN reporter Edward-Isaac Dovere earlier in February. Sources told the outlet that the campaign leveled a trespassing allegation against Dovere after he attempted to enter a campaign office, a move more reminiscent of damage control than open dialogue.
At the same time, Crockett has framed herself as a victim of racial animus coming not from Republicans, but from her own ideological flank. The thing that is not normal is for me to be attacked from the left, Crockett said, per Fox News. That is the new wild card in this scenario.
She went on to cast those attacks in explicitly racial terms, invoking her background as an attorney. And you know, I look at this specifically as a civil rights lawyer, and I see when theyre sending out ads and theyre darkening my skin. And Im just like, I know what this is, right? she said.
Crockett did not specify which advertisements she was referring to or identify who allegedly altered her image. The lack of detail leaves voters to weigh her serious charge of racial manipulation against the absence of concrete evidence in the public record.
Godfreys Atlantic profile painted Crockett as a politician leaning into a harsh, performative style of politics. The article said Crockett was deploying coarser, insult-comedy-style attacks on her opponents and testing out the coarse style of politics, a characterization that undercuts her current complaints about unfair treatment.
The piece also suggested that Crocketts tough persona extended behind the scenes to her own staff. During our interview at the Waldorf, she dialed up a staffer in D.C. in front of me and scolded him for an unclear note on her schedule. Another time, in the car, after an aide brought Crockett a paper bag full of food from a fundraiser, she peered inside, scrunched her nose, and said, This looks like crap, the piece said.
For conservatives, Crocketts trajectory encapsulates a broader pattern on the left: politicians who eagerly leverage a sympathetic media when it flatters them, then cry foul or allege bias when coverage turns less favorable or when intra-party rivals gain the spotlight.
As Texas Democrats decide whether to elevate Crockett or Talarico, her clashes with liberal outlets, her willingness to summon law enforcement on reporters, and her unsubstantiated claims about racially altered ads raise legitimate concerns about temperament, transparency and the double standards that often define progressive politics.
Login