Obama-Harris strategist Ashley Etienne says some Black Democrats may withhold enthusiasm after Jasmine Crockett loss | The Apex Times

Saturday, October 31, 2026

Above the Noise

Obama-Harris strategist Ashley Etienne says some Black Democrats may withhold enthusiasm after Jasmine Crockett loss | The Apex Times

Democratic strategist Ashley Etienne said some Black voters in Texas could be less enthusiastic about backing Democratic U.S. Senate nominee James Talarico after his primary win over Rep. Jasmine Crockett, citing voter sentiment she linked to Crockett’s defeat earlier this year. Etienne, speaking to Fox News, characterized the issue as a potential weakness in Talarico’s efforts to win statewide general-election support.

Etienne told Fox News that “some voters, Black women in particular, are feeling as though the Democratic Party and Democratic candidates want our labor, but not our leadership.” She pointed to what she described as two key examples: then Vice President Kamala Harris’ loss in a prior electoral contest and Crockett’s loss to Talarico in the Democratic primary for Texas U.S. Senate earlier in 2026.

In the Fox News report, Etienne framed the problem as a perception shift rather than a change in party identification, saying Black voters were “feeling like they were betrayed” by “what happened to Jasmine Crockett.” She also referenced a quote from a Black voter, stating that “We as Black women give 92 percent of our vote to the Democratic Party, and we get nothing out of the deal,” while the Fox report attributed the statement to a voter.

The Fox News report also noted that Etienne believes Talarico is well positioned to compete for the seat, even while identifying the enthusiasm question as a vulnerability. The story described Talarico as a Texas state lawmaker and Presbyterian seminarian, and it recounted that he defeated Crockett for the Democratic nomination earlier this year.

In parallel, Republican Sen. candidate Ken Paxton’s campaign has criticized Talarico’s legislative voting record on tax-related measures in Texas. In an AOL report, Paxton’s team argued that Talarico voted against policies they described as protections against state income taxes and against measures they said would make it harder to raise property taxes.

According to the same AOL report, Paxton’s campaign pointed to Talarico’s votes against House Joint Resolution 38, which would ban state income taxes in Texas, and Senate Bill 2, which it said requires voter approval before local governments raise property taxes. Talarico’s campaign responded by calling the attacks a “flat out lie,” and said Talarico supported other property-tax related legislation, including bills described in the report as providing property tax exemptions and reductions.

Why It Matters

Voter enthusiasm can affect turnout and support in down-ballot and statewide elections, particularly when voters express dissatisfaction with candidate selection outcomes.
The contrast between internal party narratives and external campaign disputes may influence how quickly each side turns primary outcomes into general-election messaging.
Tax votes cited by the Paxton campaign add a policy accountability dimension that could shape general-election focus on cost-of-living and state-local tax authority.
The reports underscore that, even after a party nomination is decided, competing interpretations of legislative record and voter sentiment continue to drive campaign dynamics.

Sources

Key Facts

Ashley Etienne, a veteran Democratic strategist who previously advised President Barack Obama and Vice President Kamala Harris, told Fox News that some Black voters may be less enthusiastic about backing James Talarico.
Etienne attributed the concern to voter sentiment after Crockett was defeated by Talarico in Texas’ Democratic U.S. Senate primary earlier in 2026.
Etienne said some Black women are “feeling as though the Democratic Party and Democratic candidates want our labor, but not our leadership,” and she cited the Crockett loss as an example.