--- title: Can Texas Democrats convert TikTok followings into votes? | TIME description: Few politicians command audiences on TikTok large enough to rival traditional media outlets. But in the increasingly volatile Texas Senate race, two rising-star Democrats have built precisely that kind of reach, turning the platform into a central battleground in their primary contest. canonical: https://time.com/video/LpLp1Sy1/ og:title: Can Texas Democrats convert TikTok followings into votes? og:description: Few politicians command audiences on TikTok large enough to rival traditional media outlets. But in the increasingly volatile Texas Senate race, two rising-star Democrats have built precisely that kind of reach, turning the platform into a central battleground in their primary contest. og:url: https://time.com/video/LpLp1Sy1/ og:image: https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/LpLp1Sy1/poster.jpg?width=720 og:type: video.other twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Can Texas Democrats convert TikTok followings into votes? twitter:description: Few politicians command audiences on TikTok large enough to rival traditional media outlets. But in the increasingly volatile Texas Senate race, two rising-star Democrats have built precisely that kind of reach, turning the platform into a central battleground in their primary contest. twitter:image: https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/LpLp1Sy1/poster.jpg?width=720 --- # Can Texas Democrats convert TikTok followings into votes? > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. 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It explains the politics, personalities and power dynamics behind the headlines, twice a week. #### Where can I get analysis of Washington politics by email? D.C. Brief is TIME's free Washington politics newsletter, available at time.com/newsletters. It is written by a TIME senior correspondent who covers the capital full time. #### Who writes TIME's D.C. Brief? Philip Elliott, a senior correspondent at TIME, writes D.C. Brief. #### Is D.C. Brief free? Yes. D.C. Brief is free at time.com/newsletters. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3/newsletters?i=e7523dbb-a718-4260-a43b-149b04196b44&cr=time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3-v1) ## Video: Can Texas Democrats convert TikTok followings into votes? [Watch (HLS stream): Can Texas Democrats convert TikTok followings into votes?](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/LpLp1Sy1.m3u8) (1:26)  _Published 2026-02-25. Few politicians command audiences on TikTok large enough to rival traditional media outlets. But in the increasingly volatile Texas Senate race, two rising-star Democrats have built precisely that kind of reach, turning the platform into a central battleground in their primary contest._ --- Oct 9, 2026 5:20 AM UTC --- ## More From This Series [All Videos](https://time.com/video/) [U.S. State Department Weighs in on Potential Ban on TikTok](/video/37ZG6zBZ/) ### U.S. State Department Weighs in on Potential Ban on TikTok [China Opposes U.S. Ban on ByteDance and Tencent](/video/8epLM4Jr/) ### China Opposes U.S. Ban on ByteDance and Tencent [China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs Comments on India Banning Chinese Apps](/video/iqxFGHKh/) ### China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs Comments on India Banning Chinese Apps --- ## Transcript [00:00] Even if you don't live in Texas, [00:01] you've probably seen Jasmine Crockett [00:03] and James Talarico on your feed. [00:05] Method man. [00:06] Hey y'all, I am in the. [00:08] I'm currently the two rising star. [00:09] Democrats have built massive [00:11] social media followings that have [00:13] turned TikTok into [00:14] the central battleground in their primary fight. [00:16] Here's how they're trying to turn [00:17] viral fame into votes in 60s. [00:21] Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett has built a following [00:24] of more than 2.4 million on TikTok, [00:26] making her one of the most followed members of Congress. [00:29] State Representative James Talarico isn't far [00:31] behind with more than 1.6 million. [00:33] Their styles are different. [00:35] Crockett is sharp and confrontational. [00:37] Her most viewed video is [00:38] a five second swipe at Elon Musk. [00:40] If you could speak directly to [00:41] Elon Musk, what would you say? [00:43] Talarico, who is studying to be a minister, [00:45] posts longer sermon like videos. [00:47] The biggest divide in [00:49] our country is not left versus right. [00:52] It's top versus bottom. [00:53] His top post is more than a minute and [00:55] castes inequality as a moral crisis. [00:57] But the fight isn't just between them. [00:59] It's also unfolding among [01:01] a growing ecosystem of political influencers. [01:03] TikTok creators have amplified accusations, [01:06] feuded publicly and at times [01:07] driven the races biggest controversies. [01:09] For many Democratic voters, [01:11] especially younger ones, [01:12] social media is their main source of political news. [01:15] The question now is can [01:16] viral fame translate into real votes? [01:19] In a state where Democrats haven't won [01:20] a Senate seat in more than 30 years? ```json {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"Can Texas Democrats convert TikTok followings into votes?","description":"Few politicians command audiences on TikTok large enough to rival traditional media outlets. 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