TX-30: Jasmine Crockett (D)

REPLACING:

Eddie Bernice Johnson (D)[i]

WORK HISTORY:

Texas House of Representatives (State Representative, District 100); Crockett Law PLLC (Principal); Bowie County (TX) Office of the Public Defender (Assistant Public Defender); Haltom & Doan (Associate)[ii]

EDUCATION:

Diploma, Mary Institute & St. Louis Country Day School; BA, Rhodes College; JD, University of Houston Law Center[iii]

CAMPAIGNED ON:

Voting Rights; Healthcare; Worker’s Rights’; Reproductive Justice; Immigration; Criminal Justice; Economy; Education; Equality & Civil Rights; Environmental Justice; Restoring Balance to the Judiciary[iv]

ON THE ISSUES

REPRODUCTIVE RIGHTS:

Crockett is pro-choice and supports codifying Roe v. Wade into federal law and repealing the Hyde Amendment. On her campaign website, Crockett notes that Texas “has the highest rates of maternal mortality and the most restrictive abortion laws in the nation,” adding that she has been a “vocal fighter against Abbott’s Six Week Ban and has joined multiple briefs to the Supreme Court asking them to strike this unconstitutional law down.”[v] She also believes birth control and family planning are “medical services that deserve to be covered by insurance.”[vi]

ECONOMY, JOBS & TAXES:

Crockett argues that the US economy is “strongest and soundest when the American worker is empowered, encouraged, and invested in.” She has criticized the “gig economy” and said it is “rife with abuse.”[vii] She believes that everyone should be paid a livable wage and that “one full-time job should be enough.” Crockett supports paid family and medical leave and believes people have the right to protections in the workplace. She also supports equal pay for equal work and the right to collective bargaining. Crockett was named a “Worker’s Champion” by the Workers Defense Fund “for her advocacy and steadfast commitment to working people and families,” according to her campaign website.[viii] [ix]

HEALTHCARE & SOCIAL SAFETY NET:

Crockett believes healthcare is a human right and has pledged to champion policies that would “increase coverage and access, keep costs low, and ensure every American can get the healthcare they need in their own community.”[x] She supports universal healthcare and argues that healthcare should not be tied to employment.[xi] [xii] She has said insurance should cover the “full spectrum” of healthcare, including dental, vision, mental health, and reproductive care, and supports expanding access to preventive care and lowering the cost of prescription drugs. She has advocated for Medicaid expansion in Texas and highlighted her work to extend coverage for women on Medicaid for six months postpartum.[xiii] [xiv] [xv]

IMMIGRATION & BORDER SECURITY:

Crockett “firmly” believes in creating a pathway to citizenship for the undocumented, as well as protecting DACA and fighting for DREAMers.[xvi] She criticized President Trump’s handling of the border crisis and accused the US government of committing “atrocities” against migrants. She also accused the Trump administration of “violently ripping out women’s uteruses at the border, without their consent,” and claimed that some “criminal act[s]” committed against migrants were being “swept under the rug and not addressed as part of the true crisis at the border.”[xvii] [xviii] Crockett has opposed “any funding for any kind of border wall” and suggested that the funds Congress approved for President Trump’s border wall in 2020 instead be used to provide food, water, and toilets to migrants being detained at the border as they await asylum hearings.[xix] [xx]

CRIME & PUBLIC SAFETY:

As a criminal defense lawyer and former public defender, Crockett claims to have a “unique perspective and knowledge” of the US criminal justice system, which she calls “outdated, costly, and ineffective.” In the Texas House of Representatives, she sits on the Criminal Jurisprudence Committee and has introduced and advanced numerous bills related to criminal justice.[xxi] She has argued for the demilitarization of police departments and believes law enforcement “is not above the law.”[xxii] Crockett supports “full legalization” of marijuana use.[xxiii]

GOVERNMENT INSTITUTIONS & ELECTION SECURITY:

Crockett says she is “a national voice for voting rights at the state and federal level.” In an effort to “stop Abbott’s voter suppression agenda,” Crockett pressured members of Congress to pass the John Lewis Voting Rights Act and the For The People Act. In 2021, she filed more than a dozen bills “that would modernize, secure, and make our elections more efficient while expanding access to the ballot for every eligible Texan,” including policies to automatically register, register online, vote-by-mail for all eligible voters, drive through and 24-hour voting. [xxiv]

EDUCATION:

As the daughter of a teacher, Crockett says she knows “firsthand the benefits of a strong education.” She supports providing “world-class” public education from early childhood through post-secondary. She also supports vocational education to ensure a strong workforce “where everyone has a chance to get ahead through hard work.” Crockett believes that education should be “enriching and uplift us,” not saddle students with significant debt. She also supports raising teacher pay, expanding health and retirement benefits, and providing teachers “with the resources to end the school-to-prison pipeline.”[xxv] [xxvi]

CLIMATE CHANGE, ENERGY & ENVIRONMENT:

Crockett believes there is a space for fossil fuels, at least for now, and has called Texas the nation’s “best hope for energy independence,” touting its status as a major producer of wind energy, oil, and natural gas.[xxvii] She argues that energy independence “protects our economy, national security, creates vibrant communities with great jobs and must be achieved.”[xxviii] She wants to end reliance on fossil fuels and supports expanding clean and sustainable energy production.[xxix]

GUN SAFETY:

Crockett is a “proud” gun owner and has a concealed handgun license.[xxx] She is a gun safety advocate and believes that everyone who wants to carry a firearm “must be trained on how to use, clean, store, and own a gun safely.” Crockett, who has called gun violence in America an “epidemic,” believes that “any talk about real gun control legislation needs to start at the other side of the aisle, because it is clear to everyone who is holding up the will of the people.” She is endorsed by Everytown for Gun Safety Action Fund.[xxxi] [xxxii] [xxxiii] She maintains an “F” grade with the NRA.[xxxiv]

FOREIGN POLICY:

Following the February 24 invasion of Ukraine by Russia, Crockett tweeted, “I’ve never been a fan of war. I’m more of a lover than a fighter and for that reason I’m praying for the people of Ukraine. #StopWar”[xxxv]