Kennedy Slams Crockett’s Senate Bid: “Voices in Her Head Are Not Real”

Paul Riverbank, 12/16/2025Crockett shakes up Texas Senate race, igniting sharp GOP retorts and progressive enthusiasm.

Crockett’s first shots were pointed and personal. In Dallas, standing before a packed room that buzzed more like a concert crowd than your average campaign launch, she called out sitting senators for letting Trump “skim your Social Security, slash Medicare, and toss tax breaks at billionaires.” The message was unmistakable—if anything, it was a line in the sand.

The response from the GOP rolled in just as fast, and with trademark bite. Louisiana’s John Kennedy, rarely one for pleasantries, dismissed her bid on Fox News: “They need to tell her that the voices in her head aren’t real.” In classic Kennedy fashion, it was part jest, part jab. “She is wrong on every single issue. Texans aren’t about to rally behind that message.” Not exactly olive-branch diplomacy, but Kennedy’s humor-laced retort struck a chord with a segment eager for a little spectacle.

Still, Kennedy hedged his scorn with a nod to open debate—one of those paradoxical asides he’s known for. “We all have the right to express our opinion,” he conceded. “You’re not free if you can’t speak your piece.” He seemed to shrug, as if to say, this is America; let’s see what sticks.

Texas has been a political fortress for Republicans—no Democrat has claimed a statewide seat since the era of shoulder pads and hair metal. Crockett’s supporters know this, watching as their candidate jumps out to an early lead in the Democratic pack, ahead of James Talarico by about eight points. Yet the general election presents a different climb: current polling has the incumbent, Senator John Cornyn, still besting Crockett by a comfortable—though not insurmountable—six points.

Crockett doesn’t seem rattled. Instead, she’s doubling down on issues that spark the base but also court controversy. Take her challenge to the Supreme Court: she’s called for the Senate to lay down some ethical “ground rules” for the justices. That sort of talk draws cheers at rallies, but eyebrows in more cautious corners of her party.

Her campaign, all sharp rhetoric and viral video savvy, has made her a darling among progressive activists and caught the attention of national media. Whether this translates into the broader electorate remains, frankly, a huge unknown. Even some Democrats quietly wonder if Crockett’s combative approach might alienate the moderates and rural voters she’d need to close the gap statewide.

Meanwhile, Republicans aren’t exactly circling the wagons in panic. “The people of Texas will never embrace her message,” Kennedy repeated, summing up the GOP’s current confidence with a whiff of Southern resignation.

Yet, it’s early. If recent political cycles have taught us anything, it’s that Texas can produce surprises—albeit infrequently. As the race unfolds, one senses this contest won’t play out quietly. Crockett, for all her critics, has shifted the conversation and forced both sides to sharpen their arguments. Kennedy, in his closing flourish, offered tongue-in-cheek advice to congressional malcontents: “If people are unhappy, you know, don’t let the door hit them on the way out.”

That sort of banter, easy to laugh at but hard to ignore, sums up where we are—a state both as divided as ever and as fiercely engaged as it’s been in decades. For Crockett’s campaign, and the voters watching from Rowlett to Laredo, the next few months promise a contest less about comfort and more about conviction. The country may just keep tuning in.

Jasmine Crockett’s arrival in the Texas Senate race didn’t so much slip quietly into political discourse as explode onto the scene, setting off a storm of chat and commentary that’s impossible to ignore. Watching her campaign video—the one with Donald Trump’s aging soundbites grumbling behind her as she stands front and center—it’s clear: subtlety isn’t her game, and she’s fine with that.Crockett’s first shots were pointed and personal. In Dallas, standing before a packed room that buzzed more like a concert crowd than your average campaign launch, she called out sitting senators for letting Trump “skim your Social Security, slash Medicare, and toss tax breaks at billionaires.” The message was unmistakable—if anything, it was a line in the sand.The response from the GOP rolled in just as fast, and with trademark bite. Louisiana’s John Kennedy, rarely one for pleasantries, dismissed her bid on Fox News: “They need to tell her that the voices in her head aren’t real.” In classic Kennedy fashion, it was part jest, part jab. “She is wrong on every single issue. Texans aren’t about to rally behind that message.” Not exactly olive-branch diplomacy, but Kennedy’s humor-laced retort struck a chord with a segment eager for a little spectacle.Still, Kennedy hedged his scorn with a nod to open debate—one of those paradoxical asides he’s known for. “We all have the right to express our opinion,” he conceded. “You’re not free if you can’t speak your piece.” He seemed to shrug, as if to say, this is America; let’s see what sticks.Texas has been a political fortress for Republicans—no Democrat has claimed a statewide seat since the era of shoulder pads and hair metal. Crockett’s supporters know this, watching as their candidate jumps out to an early lead in the Democratic pack, ahead of James Talarico by about eight points. Yet the general election presents a different climb: current polling has the incumbent, Senator John Cornyn, still besting Crockett by a comfortable—though not insurmountable—six points.Crockett doesn’t seem rattled. Instead, she’s doubling down on issues that spark the base but also court controversy. Take her challenge to the Supreme Court: she’s called for the Senate to lay down some ethical “ground rules” for the justices. That sort of talk draws cheers at rallies, but eyebrows in more cautious corners of her party.Her campaign, all sharp rhetoric and viral video savvy, has made her a darling among progressive activists and caught the attention of national media. Whether this translates into the broader electorate remains, frankly, a huge unknown. Even some Democrats quietly wonder if Crockett’s combative approach might alienate the moderates and rural voters she’d need to close the gap statewide.Meanwhile, Republicans aren’t exactly circling the wagons in panic. “The people of Texas will never embrace her message,” Kennedy repeated, summing up the GOP’s current confidence with a whiff of Southern resignation.Yet, it’s early. If recent political cycles have taught us anything, it’s that Texas can produce surprises—albeit infrequently. As the race unfolds, one senses this contest won’t play out quietly. Crockett, for all her critics, has shifted the conversation and forced both sides to sharpen their arguments. Kennedy, in his closing flourish, offered tongue-in-cheek advice to congressional malcontents: “If people are unhappy, you know, don’t let the door hit them on the way out.”That sort of banter, easy to laugh at but hard to ignore, sums up where we are—a state both as divided as ever and as fiercely engaged as it’s been in decades. For Crockett’s campaign, and the voters watching from Rowlett to Laredo, the next few months promise a contest less about comfort and more about conviction. The country may just keep tuning in.