Crockett disputes opponent's denial of 'mediocre Black man' comment, calls out 'well-intentioned White folk'

Rep. Jasmine Crockett, D-Texas, reacted to some remarks her opponent, Texas state Rep. James Talarico, allegedly made about their former opponent in the Senate race, Colin Allred, during a podcast on Monday — taking aim at what "well-intentioned White folk" say about minorities behind closed doors.

"As a political candidate, before my opponent responded, I absolutely stuck with the 'allegedly' type of language," Crockett said during an interview with Gerren Keith Gaynor from The Grio. 

Crockett continued, saying that reading his statement through the lens of being a criminal defense attorney, he says, "'Oh, you said it.' Right? Because, now, it’s 'Oh, she misinterpreted.' Because of course the Black woman would misinterpret, right? I mean, it’s all these things, but you admitted to the time, you admitted to the conversation, you admitted that the conversation took place with this person, and you admitted to actually using that word."

TEXAS DEMOCRATS CALLED OUT OVER 'EGREGIOUS CIRCULAR-FIRING SQUAD BEHAVIOR' IN SENATE PRIMARY RACE

State Representative James Talarico, a Democrat from Texas and US Senate candidate, left, and Representative Jasmine Crockett, a Democrat from Texas and US Senate candidate, during a debate at the 2026 Texas AFL-CIO COPE Convention in Georgetown, Texas, on Saturday, Jan. 24, 2026.  (Bob Daemmrich/The Texas Tribune/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Allred, a former Texas congressman, spoke out after Morgan Thompson, a social media influencer, said that Talarico told her that Allred was a "mediocre Black man." Allred responded in his own video and said, "James, if you want to compliment Black women, just do it. Just do it. Don’t do it while also tearing down a Black man."

Talarico then issued a statement that said Thompson's allegations were a "mischaracterization of a private conversation."

"In my praise of Congresswoman Crockett, I described Congressman Allred’s method of campaigning as mediocre — but his life and service are not. I would never attack him on the basis of race," Talarico's statement read.

Talarico's campaign did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment.

FIERCE TRUMP CRITIC CROCKETT SHAKES UP HIGH STAKES SENATE RACE

State Representative James Talarico, a Democrat from Texas and US Senate candidate, left, and Representative Jasmine Crockett, a Democrat from Texas and US Senate candidate, shake hands during a debate at the 2026 Texas AFL-CIO COPE Convention in Georgetown, Texas, on Saturday, Jan. 24, 2026.  (Bob Daemmrich/The Texas Tribune/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Crockett said a prosecutor would see this situation and determine that Talarico was "guilty" of making the remarks.

"Because why would you be saying that you didn't expect to run against a formidable Black woman and then the other part of that sentence was about not mentioning his race and only talking about his race, like his actual campaign? It’s not how sentences go when you’re doing a comparative side of the sentences," Crockett said.

Crockett said Talarico's alleged comments were an example of what Black people fear about what "well-intentioned White folk" say behind closed doors.

"I think it is what so many Black people fear — is that even the most ‘well-intentioned White folk,’ sometimes behind closed doors, may say things about us. It makes us question, and it doesn't matter your political affiliation. I think that it is a real fear that a lot of — not just Black people, but minorities — have about how they may get talked about behind closed doors," she said.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE COVERAGE OF MEDIA AND CULTURE

Allred talked about the remarks during a podcast conversation on Tuesday with former DNC Chair Jaime Harrison.

Allred said that he didn't think Thompson had any reason to make it up and went on to argue that Talarico had said things to him that he didn't like.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

"He said to me before he got into the race he thought that he would be a better candidate because he doesn't have a family, and then, so, he can spend more time campaigning," Allred said.