In a scathing video Monday, former U.S. Rep. Colin Allred ripped state Rep. James Talarico for allegedly calling him a “mediocre Black man” and urged voters to support U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett, Talarico’s opponent in the Democratic primary for U.S. Senate.
Allred’s comments came after Morgan Thompson, a political content creator with the TikTok handle @morga_tt, posted a now-viral video alleging that, in a one-on-one conversation with Talarico on Jan. 12, the Austin Democrat told her he signed up to run against “a mediocre Black man,” referring to Allred, and “not a formidable, intelligent Black woman.” Allred was Talarico’s main rival in the Senate primary until the former Dallas congressman dropped his bid in December as Crockett was preparing to enter the race.
In a statement, Talarico called the allegation a “mischaracterization of a private conversation,” acknowledging he described Allred’s “method of campaigning” as “mediocre,” but not his “life and service.”
“I would never attack him on the basis of race,” Talarico said. “As a Black man in America, Congressman Allred has had to work twice as hard to get where he is. I understand how my critique of the Congressman’s campaign could be interpreted given this country’s painful legacy of racism, and I care deeply about the impact my words have on others. Despite our disagreements, I deeply respect Congressman Allred. We’re all on the same team.”
Ali Zaidi, a former Texas House staffer for Talarico, called the allegation “both in substance and in form so out of norm for who Rep. Talarico is.”
“The growing deluge of odd, conspiratorial, and untrue content surrounding [Talarico] is frankly bizarre,” Zaidi said on social media. “Disappointing that some believe this is how a primary ought to be conducted.”
The allegation, and Allred’s response, is the most searing blow yet to Talarico, a rising Democratic star, from a member of his own party, reflecting the intraparty tensions heating up in the intensely competitive primary contest.
In his video, Allred slammed Talarico for appearing to cloak his alleged remark beneath a compliment of Crockett, saying, “We’re tired of folks using praise for Black women to mask criticism for Black men. That’s not good for our community.” He also suggested Talarico was projecting insecurity about his own campaign when he purportedly called Allred “mediocre.” And he derided the emphasis Talarico, an aspiring Presbyterian minister, has placed on his Christian faith in his Senate campaign and political identity.
“You are not saving religion for the Democratic Party or the left,” Allred said. “We already have Senator Reverend Dr. Raphael Warnock for that. We don’t need you. You’re not saying anything unique.”
Allred ended his video with a message to young Black men who might one day want to become leaders of their communities.
“Haters like this are going to show up,” he said. “When we see them, we should say thank you. Thank you for taking off the mask. Thank you for telling us who you really are, what you really think, and goodbye.”
Allred, the 2024 Democratic nominee against Sen. Ted Cruz, is now running for his old congressional seat and facing a tough primary against U.S. Rep. Julie Johnson, who has endorsed Talarico.
Thompson, the TikTok creator, previously said she planned to support Talarico over Allred in the primary, until Crockett entered the race. In a lengthy follow-up video, posted after her account of Talarico’s alleged remark went viral, she said the Austin Democrat made the comment during a one-on-one conversation at a campaign event in Plano.
During the conversation, which she described as “off the record,” Thompson said she raised concerns to Talarico about his campaign sending out a fundraising pitch from veteran Democratic strategist James Carville, who wrote a November op-ed in the New York Times titled “Out With Woke. In With Rage,” urging Democratic campaigns to focus on economic populism and drop “performative woke politics.”
That approach to politics, Thompson recounted telling Talarico, would leave Black communities behind.
“Woke politics cannot be separated from Black people because it’s something that directly impacts our access to resources,” she recalled saying, adding that she was worried Talarico would set his Black constituents aside if elected.
Talarico, she said, responded by saying he cared about his Black constituents and that was why his campaign was continuing to try to talk to Black voters despite polling suggesting that it’d be easier for him to pivot his focus to other groups.
The conversation then turned to last year’s efforts by prominent Texas Democrats to sort out which statewide races they should run for, Thompson said.
Allred and Talarico were among a coterie of four Democrats, along with Beto O’Rourke and U.S. Rep. Joaquin Castro, who tried to organize a statewide slate of candidates last year. That effort failed after most of them saw the U.S. Senate race as the best opportunity for a Democrat to win, given the likelihood of a bruising Republican Senate primary and the chance to face Attorney General Ken Paxton.
It was at this point, Thompson alleged, that Talarico told her, “Look, I signed up to run against a mediocre Black man, not a formidable, intelligent Black woman.”
In response, Allred on Monday blasted Talarico and endorsed Crockett.
“Go vote for Jasmine Crockett,” Allred said in a video on social media. “This man should not be our nominee for United States Senate. I wasn’t going to get involved in this race. But listen, don’t come for me unless I send for you.”
In a statement, Crockett said it was “unfortunate that at the start of Black History Month, this is what we’re facing.”
Allred “drew a line in the sand” and “decided to stand for all people who have been targeted and talked about in a demeaning way as our country continues to be divided,” she said, adding that she appreciated his support.
In an interview, Thompson said the interaction with Talarico reflected “blind spots that white people can have, whether they have good intent or not.”
“I think it’s something that wasn’t appropriate, especially given how much work it takes for Black people to achieve the things that we do,” she said.
Thompson said Talarico’s campaign had not reached out to her since she posted her videos.
The most recent public polling from mid-January put Crockett and Talarico in a dead heat ahead of the March 3 primary. While Talarico’s support has largely come from white and Latino voters, he has drawn meager support so far from Black Democratic voters. In the recent survey, 75% of Black likely primary voters said they supported Crockett.
Disclosure: New York Times has been a financial supporter of The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization that is funded in part by donations from members, foundations and corporate sponsors. Financial supporters play no role in the Tribune’s journalism. Find a complete list of them here.
Editor’s note: This article was updated on Feb. 2.
This article first appeared on The Texas Tribune.
Great Job & the Team @ Houston Public Media for sharing this story.
