'Extremely effective': How Dem star Jasmine Crockett flexes in face of GOP rants

WASHINGTON — Republicans from Austin to the White House have been snickering since viral progressive phenom Jasmine Crockett announced her bid for one of Texas’ two U.S. Senate seats.

“It's going to be very entertaining,” Rep. Mike McCaul (R-TX) told Raw Story through a hearty laugh.

Democrats are laughing too — at today’s increasingly unpopular GOP.

They say Republicans’ racist-tinged arrogance is on full display, because they don’t think a Black woman can win in a state Democrats are eager to flip.

The race is being closely watched by the Democratic base, both locally and nationally, which means millions in donations are already flooding Crockett’s digitally savvy campaign.

“She's going to win,” Rep. Marc Veasey (D-TX) told Raw Story.

While Republicans are giddy, Democrats are gearing up for what could be one of the most expensive Senate races next year.

After all, in 2024, the state shattered fundraising records as GOP Sen. Ted Cruz and former Democratic Congressman Collin Allred raised a collective $192 million.

While Allred lost by eight points, supporters say Crockett has a few tricks up her sleeves.

‘Psyop campaign’

Crockett may be a phenom on left, but among Republicans she’s dismissed as a joke.

“It's a weird choice,” Rep. Dan Crenshaw (R-TX) told Raw Story. “Collin Allred’s obviously a better candidate.”

Crockett’s entrance into the Senate race seems to have scared off Allred, a more moderate, former three-term Congressman — which Republicans claim was by design.

“So there was a, what we would call a psyop campaign,” Rep. Troy Nehls (R-TX) laughed while puffing a stogie on the Capitol steps. “I was out there doing everything I can, encouraging Jasmine to run.

“They're trying to just anoint her, the Democrat, the far-left nuts have anointed her, and I think it's fantastic for Texas. That just says that they've lost their way. The Democrats have lost their way. They have been overtaken by the far-left nuts.”

“We've got them up here. You know who they are. Jasmine's one of them, but Texas ain't going to put up with any of her bullsh—. They're just not.

“We're really, really excited. We're excited. I was going to send Jasmine $100 bucks to say, ‘Get in this damn thing because you're going to be great.’”

Republicans report President Donald Trump is especially eager to defeat Crockett, one of his biggest critics.

“You guys are kind of, like, chomping at the bit, right?” Raw Story pressed McCaul.

“Yeah, I think some are. I think the president really is,” McCaul said. “I'm more worried about the primary.”

Democrats are praying the GOP primary descends into an expensive MAGA-establishment brawl, as four-term Sen. John Cornyn fights off controversial Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton.

‘Not very smart’

Crockett’s only been in the Senate contest a couple weeks, and already Texas Democrats are calling foul.

“What do you make of all these Republicans kind of laughing her off in kind of racist tones, it seems?” Raw Story asked.

“Yeah. I think it's crazy,” Congressman Veasey said.

Besides Crockett’s national appeal, Veasey says Republicans are kidding themselves if they think the contest is in the bag.

“This is going to be a good year for Democrats,” Veasey said. “For them to look past any of our candidates is not very smart.”

Besides Crockett’s appeal to her Dallas-area constituents, the Congresswoman is a rising star on the left who has been tapped to help rally national Democratic opposition to Trump 2.0.

Crockett’s appeared with former Vice President Kamala Harris in six states, including swing states. Many of her congressional colleagues report she’s a hit with their voters too.

“She's been incredible in motivating the base in my district,” Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-MI) — a member of Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s progressive “Squad” — told Raw Story while waiting for a Capitol elevator. “My base love her. The Democratic base in Michigan love her.”

Still, Crockett has rubbed many in her party’s old guard the wrong way.

For example, she’s one of roughly 100 members of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, but one of the group’s two former chais, Rep. Mark Pocan (D-WI), doesn’t have anything nice to say about her.

“What has Jasmine Crockett meant to the party?” Raw Story asked.

“I don't have much of a comment around that area,” said Pocan. “I don't usually deal in these areas.”

Pocan endorsed four Wisconsin candidates last month and backed Bernie Sanders and Kamala Harris in their presidential runs.

Like it or hate it, there’s a changing of the guard afoot in today’s Democratic Party, and to enlivened young voters, Crockett’s become a face of this new, restive and more progressive generation.

‘Extremely effective’

Crockett has become known for melting the internet, by going toe to toe with the likes of Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) and even President Trump.

But she’s a lawyer by trade.

Her colleagues see her serious side, but when the party’s locked out of all power across Washington, there’s little else Crockett can do but attack, attack, attack.

“Has she been a serious lawmaker up here?” Raw Story asked. “Like, she's always going viral, but that's all people really know.”

“In the minority, it's hard to get much passed at all,” said Rep. Glenn Ivey (D-MD). “Certainly, from the oversight perspective, she's been extremely effective.”

While Crockett’s ruffled feathers across the proverbial aisle, she’s growing on some veteran members of the Congressional Black Caucus.

“Clearly, she has a good voice that gets a lot of attention,” Rep. Emanuel Cleaver (D-MO) told Raw Story. “They have some performative members, and so we need to be able to meet them.”