Rep. Jasmine Crockett, who recently announced her bid to challenge Texas Republican Sen. John Cornyn in 2026, faced renewed scrutiny over past remarks she made about Latino Trump voters during the 2024 election. In an interview with CNN’s Jake Tapper, Crockett defended comments she had given to Vanity Fair, where she appeared to suggest that some Latino voters who supported Donald Trump had a “slave mentality.” Tapper pressed her on whether she believed the roughly one million Latinos in Texas who voted for Trump fit that description. Crockett denied making a blanket claim, arguing instead that many voters misunderstood Trump’s immigration promises and believed he would only target “bad actors.”
Crockett said her comments stemmed from conversations she had while campaigning in South Texas, where some Latino voters expressed frustration with illegal immigration after having “done everything the right way.” She maintained that her remarks were about their perceptions of Trump’s policies, not an attack on Latino voters as a whole. However, she did not directly address the wording of her prior statements.
Separately, Crockett is facing criticism over an unpaid lien exceeding $3,000 on her Dallas luxury condominium. County records reviewed by Fox News Digital show the lien, filed in April 2024, has not been resolved, barring her from selling or transferring the property. A Democratic strategist cited the controversy as evidence she is “not ready for primetime” as a statewide candidate.