Texas Finally Shows Some of Its Worst Political Performers the Door

Texas voters just did something rare and beautiful. They sent some of the country’s most insufferable political performers packing, or at least gave them a serious scare. Not all of them, mind you. We’re not living in a perfect world. But enough to make primary night worth the price of admission.

Let’s start with the bad news because it’s still hanging around like a bad smell. James Talarico, the Democrat who just won his party’s Senate nomination, represents everything that’s gone wrong with progressive politics. This guy stands in front of cameras and sermonizes about biblical mandates for pediatric gender surgeries and something he calls “trans abortions.” Yes, you read that right. He’s out there claiming our trans community needs abortion care, as if stringing those words together makes any kind of biological or theological sense. But this is where we are now. The left has moved so far into fantasy land that their candidates can say this stuff with a straight face and win primaries.

Still, the same election that elevated Talarico also showed some theater kids the exit, and that’s worth celebrating with your beverage of choice.

Rep. Al Green, the Democrat who’s made a career out of filing impeachment articles against President Trump on what feels like every day ending in Y, came in second in his primary. Second place. For a longtime incumbent, that’s basically a vote of no confidence from your own party. He’s facing a runoff now, which means even Texas Democrats are getting tired of his middle school antics during State of the Union addresses. The man has turned congressional proceedings into his personal performance art, and apparently his constituents have noticed.

Here’s the really good news. Jasmine Crockett gave up her House seat to run for Senate, where she lost to Talarico’s fake preacher routine. That means we’re done watching her turn congressional hearings into episodes of Jerry Springer. Remember those committee meetings where things got so heated you half expected Maury Povich to walk out with paternity test results? Yeah, those are over. Crockett was also famous for her code switching, becoming a completely different person from moment to moment depending on her audience. It was shameless and transparent, and frankly exhausting to watch. She had more accents than a cat has lives, and none of them felt genuine.

On the Republican side, Dan Crenshaw finally met his match with Texas voters. He’s been an interesting case study for a while now. The guy famously snapped at a child who asked him about religious faith. He said on a hot mic that he’d kill Tucker Carlson if he ever met him. He showed zero interest in the fate of January 6 prisoners when MAGA voters were asking questions. The list goes on. Crenshaw lost his primary this week by 15 points. Fifteen. That’s not a close call. That’s voters saying they’re done with the attitude and ready for representation that actually represents them.

You know what strikes me about all this? These weren’t close races decided by a handful of votes in some recount drama. These were clear statements from voters who’d had enough of the performance art. Politics has always had its theatrical elements, sure. But somewhere along the way, too many elected officials forgot they were supposed to govern and started treating Congress like an audition for cable news segments.

The mixed bag here is real. Talarico advancing to lose in November is unfortunate, but temporary. Green surviving to a runoff is annoying, but he’s clearly wounded. Crockett and Crenshaw leaving is addition by subtraction. Sometimes you’ve got to take your wins where you can find them, and Tuesday night in Texas offered several.

The bigger picture matters too. When voters start rejecting the circus performers in their own primaries, that’s a sign something’s shifting. People are tired. They’re tired of the drama, tired of the posturing, tired of representatives who care more about going viral than solving problems. They want adults in the room again, not children throwing tantrums for clicks.

Texas just reminded us that voters still have the final say, even when the options aren’t perfect. That’s worth remembering as we head into what promises to be another exhausting election cycle.