Kamala Harris backs Jasmine Crockett in bitter Texas Democratic Senate primary

Former Vice President Kamala Harris is wading into the heated Texas Democratic Senate primary recording a robocall for Rep. Jasmine Crockett in the final days before Tuesday’s election.

“Hi, this is Kamala Harris, and I’m calling to encourage you to please go vote for my friend Jasmine Crockett in the Democratic primary,” Harris says in a pre-recorded message, which was first reported by the Texas Tribune.

“Texas has the chance to send a fighter like Jasmine Crockett to the United States Senate. Jasmine has the experience and record to hold Donald Trump and his billionaire cronies accountable,” she continues. “It’s time to turn Texas blue.”

Harris’ endorsement marks a major jolt for Crockett in her intensifying primary fight with Texas state Rep. James Talarico on the final day of early voting in the state. The outcome of the Democratic primary, and the equally turbulent Republican primary, could prove pivotal in determining whether Democrats have a chance of taking control of the Senate.

Crockett and Harris have forged a close relationship — Crockett served as a co-chair of Harris’ 2024 presidential campaign and spoke at the 2024 Democratic National Convention, where she detailed Harris’ mentorship when she first arrived in Congress. In a December interview, Crockett said she sought advice from the former vice president before entering the Senate race.

Crockett’s campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The endorsement comes as Crockett has drawn criticism for her handling of media coverage of her campaign. A reporter for The Atlantic said Crockett’s campaign removed her from an event due to her past coverage and her campaign reportedly called the police on a CNN reporter who visited a campaign office. Crockett has said there is “no evidence” the reporter was ejected from a campaign event.

Since her 2024 defeat, Harris has only weighed in on a handful of electoral contests, but this is her first time backing a Democrat ahead of a contested primary. She traveled to Tennessee in support of state Rep. Aftyn Behn’s closer-than-expected defeat to Rep. Matt Van Epps in December.

She also endorsed some other close allies who sought higher office, including New Orleans Mayor Helena Moreno, who worked on Harris’ 2019 presidential campaign before running for mayor last year, and Dan Koh, a former White House aide in the Biden administration running in Massachusetts’ 6th Congressional district.

The endorsement offers a test of Harris’ political capital in the wake of the 2024 election. In interviews and appearances tied to her book tour detailing the whirlwind presidential campaign, Harris repeatedly refused to rule out running for political office in the future, despite passing on running for governor of California.